Faoi Dheireadh
by Batsojopo
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that’s not the end of their problems. Now Completed!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 1  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

**_Chapter One_**

"Sir, why is this necessary?"

Admiral William Adama looked across the table to Lieutenant Felix Gaeta, while contemplating his answer. "It's called strategy, Lieutenant," he finally answered as he reached across the table and moved a small figurine to another square on the grid placed between them.

The younger man sat back and shook his head as he looked at his watch. "Five minutes."

A ghost of a smile crossed William's face while he sat back. "You did much better than I expected."

"What, five minutes?" Gaeta shook his head while looking at the board, wondering what he could have done better. He was the Admiral's tactical officer, he knew he should have done better.

"It takes time to learn how to strategize. War College is one thing, putting it into practice is something completely different." Adama picked up a glass and took a sip of the clear liquid inside it. For a short time he fingered it before setting it back down on the table. "Commander Allen was going to do this once you had taken your position on the _Columbia_, but things have changed." Leaning forward, William cleared the board and placed the pieces back in their box, leaving Gaeta to fold up the playing board. "Once you master how to strategize in two dimensions, it is only a short jump to three."

"Yes, Sir." Gaeta nodded while looking around the Admiral's cluttered quarters. Turning back he found Adama had stood up and was putting the sacred game back where he found it. For a moment the older man paused while looking at the books in one of the many shelves that lined the walls. He was searching for something. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, but not by much, Gaeta realized wanted to leave, but he wasn't dismissed just yet. "Sir, may I leave?"

"Not yet. There's something I want you to read." Adama's voice sounded distracted as he continued his search. Grunting in sudden approval, he turned around with a book in his hand. "Here." He handed it to Gaeta. "This talks about the different strategies you can employ while playing the Sacred Game. I want you to study and think about them carefully."

Gaeta nodded as he accepted the book. No doubt the admiral already knew all the different ways that could be used for the game. Adama had even allowed him to take the stronger side, but he still lost. Something was not right.

"You're dismissed."

"Thank you, Sir. Uh, Sir?

Adama tilted his head a fraction. "Yes?"

"Do you want this back?"

"For once, Lieutenant, yes. You're not the first, and you will not be the last to study the contents of it."

"Yes sir." Gaeta stood at attention and saluted, waiting for Adama to answer. When it was returned the younger officer turned on his heels and left the rooms for his own rack. Turning a corner, he ran straight into Lee Adama, the Admiral's son and only living relative. "Sir!" the tactical officer backed up several steps, clearly startled.

"What's wrong, Lieutenant?" Lee had also moved away, wishing once again that mirrors could be placed in strategic areas of the ship so this sort of thing did not happen.

"Nothing, uh, Major Adama."

Lee smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry if I startled you. I didn't mean too."

"That's all right."

"I see he's given you a book." A slight smile crossed Lee's face as he looked at the thick volume.

"It's on strategy. . ."

"With the Sacred Game. I know. He had already had me study it. But, don't worry, he still beats the crap out of me on a regular basis, and I'm not talking about the boxing ring."

"That's somewhat nice to hear." Gaeta shook his head wryly.

"Well, my father's had many years of experience, and the First Cylon War to learn how to strategize while under a lot of pressure."

Gaeta nodded, instinctively understanding what it took for Lee to make that admission about the Old Man. "Which means I will never get to that stage."

"You never know." Lee gave a slight smile. Now moving away he turned, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Gaeta answered while moving around the corner.

Lee stood there for a few minutes, looking down the corridor. As if waking from a dream, he shook his head and sighed. Turning back around he continued on towards Adama's quarters.

"Dad?" Lee asked as he stepped through the door.

Adama stepped from his small, cluttered office. "Yes?"

Lee hesitated a moment, "I just returned from _Colonial One_, Sir. Her captain told me that they're having trouble with their FTL drive. He's is attempting to get it up and running again, but I'm not sure if that is possible. Dad, you know those ships out there were not made to take what we've been putting them through."

Adama signed as he sat down in a nearby chair. "I know. And I also knew it would only be a matter of time before the civilian ships start breaking down from as many jumps that we have forced them to make."

"Don't forget the _Galactica_."

Adama let out a short laugh while shaking his head. "I know. She's almost as old as I am."

Lee let a flicker of a smile cross his face.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how are you holding up being the acting XO over on _Pegasus_?"

It was Lee's time to sigh as he sat down. "Let's just say I wish I was CAG over here."

"Just remember this, the Executive Officer is supposed to be the hardest on the crew, not the commander. You need to push them, not break them."

"To make the 'Old Man' look good?"

"Uh-huh." William sighed as he settled deeper in his chair. For a second his eyes flickered open slightly then closed again.

A few moments later Lee screwed his eyes shut tightly as he grasped his head.

"You must be prepared for anything and everything," Adama murmured. "Your mind must not be compromised."

Lee took a quick gasp as he rubbed his temples. "I wasn't prepared. That hurt."

"Son, you will never be given time to prepare yourself if that happens. You must always be on the alert."

Lee looked up to William, only to find the older man studying him closely. He was still relaxed, but had an edge about him. "I bet Kara's better than me," he tried to joke.

"Kara is not sensitive." William leaned forward and grasped the empty glass on the table before him along with the bottle next to it. Opening it up, he poured some of its contents into it. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No." Lee shook his head gingerly. The aftereffects still lingering on.

"You're headache should be gone within the hour."

"I guess I need to get back to the _Pegasus_." Lee stood up slowly and moved towards the door.

"Son."

Lee stopped and gave William a questioning glance.

"Be careful."

"I, I will." The younger Adama closed the door behind him.

For a time William gazed at the door, not really thinking of anything, but letting his mind wander. It eventually settled on the comment he made to Gaeta about how things had changed. They had gone from a thriving twelve planet economy and society with billions of people down to 70 or so ships and about fifty thousand souls. The civilians depended on the safety, albeit meager, that the remnants of the military could give them.

For the past two weeks they had not heard one whisper from the Cylons, but William knew they were out there. They were out there waiting to pick off the civilian ships that dared make the mistake of lagging behind, or trying to make a go at it without the protection the military somehow still provided. _If we make mistakes, people die_. He remembered calmly stating to Dee during those five hellish days after the Holocaust.

There had been highlights, but those were few and far between. President Laura Roslin had informed him early on of their first birth. He never though that one simple birth could give such hope to everyone. If anything, it gave the people even more hope than he had in telling them about Earth. Getting back up, he removed his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair in his small office. Sitting down he wearily lowered his forehead onto the back of his hands. All he really wanted was one day of rest, but he knew that would never happen. The Cylons showed them no mercy. These days of inactivity were harder on everyone than the days where the Cylons attacked them nonstop.

He had no idea how long he stayed in that position when the phone buzzed and Dee's voice came over the small speaker, _"CIC to Admiral."_

Sitting up, Adama rotated his arm to get the kink out of his shoulder then reached over and picked it up. "Adama."

_"Sir, President Roslin is on the line for you."_

"Put her through." He closed his eyes as he leaned back and tried to settle deeper in his chair. The cord to the phone kept him from leaning any further back than he already was.

_"Admiral?"_

"Yes, Madam President?"

_"Because of the backlog from recent events, I will not be able to come over for our regularly scheduled meeting. I do apologize for that."_ Her voice came across as being apologetic.

"No need to apologize for that, Laura. Just don't push yourself. We don't know. . ."

_"How much time I have been granted with Baltar's procedure,"_ she finished. _"I know, but I do have a government to run. I heard it was the same with you when you were, and still are to some extent, recovering."_

"Touché." Adama let his smile creep into his voice. "I guess that means that dinner is off?"

_"For now. I will make it up to you, Bill."_ If at all, she sounded even more apologetic.

"We can handle the meeting tomorrow. Because of your backlog it would just be easier for me to shuttle over." He hesitated before continuing, "Is there anything else I need to know?"

_"Only that it still bothers me what the Tomb of Athena gave us. How do we know that the information is right?"_

Adama let a smile creep across his face before answering, "It sounds like you've started to doubt."

_"Not doubt. I just want to be sure of our destination,"_ she answered with mock indignation.

"Laura, don't worry about it. The M8 Astral body is something that we already know about."

_"What will happen when we get there?"_

"I'm not worried about that right now. My main goal is to make sure that we make it there alive."

_"Right, I know. It's, it's just that I worry about it."_

Adama's voice softened, "Worry all you want, it's not going to change the decision we made on Kobol."

_"In other words, if you make your bed you need to lay in it."_

"You catch on fast. What we found out on Kobol is now considered ancient history in our current situation. We need to deal with the here and now, not what could or should have been."

_"Like finding out there were survivors on Caprica."_

"One and the same. I had the same type of discussion with Lee before we lost most of our water. He had not learned how to come to terms with his decision concerning the _Olympic Carrier_."

_"I see,"_ her voice was quiet.

"Anyway," William glanced at the clock. "It is starting to get late."

_"I know. At least I can take my time and read that book now. I haven't had any time to myself. And you know, I never properly thanked you for giving it back to me."_

"No one has had any time for themselves. Laura, I want you to take care of yourself."

_"I will. See you tomorrow."_

Adama set the handset back in its cradle then settled himself back in his chair while letting a small smile cross his face. He still worried about her, and a deep concern for her well-being was still there, but he could not let that cloud his judgment and ability to make command decisions. Seeing her so ill pained him too much. To this day he still wonders how he will go on without her presence. He had come to rely on her as the voice of calm and reason in their troubled times. The crazier things got the more solid she became.

Ever since he got out of Life Station after his own near death experience he had problems dealing with making the hard command decisions. With Laura now healed, somewhat, he found it easier to make those decisions with her input. He knew they were leaning more and more on each other, it was something he wasn't sure about.

oOoOo

_Gaius._

"Why are you still here? I thought you were using Gina," he answered rather distractedly.

_Are you listening to me?_

"Of course I am!" He slapped his pen down on the table. This time he looked up. Lately she had not been communicating with him like she used to. Ever since Gina showed up on Pegasus, the woman in his mind had been shuffled off to the side and disappeared for a time. The image from his mind, or model number six, was wearing her revealing tight red dress, apparently trying to get his attention.

_Something is going to happen very soon that will change everything._

"You said that before, and look where it got me." He stood up and gestured around his cramped laboratory. He had barely made a dent in all the blood samples. Their population was just over 50 thousand, and he was expected to run the Cylon test on each and every one of them.

_Because you did not believe. Remember god has a plan for everything._

"Like that ship?"

_That was our resurrection ship. You also know we are called to reproduce. _Six placed her hands on his chest and started caressing him.

Shaking his head, Gaius grasped them and backed away. He much rather be with Gina than with an imaginary, or so he thought, woman in his head.

_And for the humans to repent._

"It looks as if most have decided not to." He released her hands and ran one of his through his unruly hair. "Most, as you already know, still prefer worshiping the Lords of Kobol. Even after the ones that came over to attempt to convert everyone, failed. When all you have left is religion, a person will hold onto it with everything he or she has."

oOoOo

"Colonel, Sir. DRADIS states that it's the astral body M8." Gaeta examined the screen at the tactical station closely. Turning around he looked at highest ranking member currently on duty in CIC.

"Bring the fleet to a stop." Tigh let out a sigh as he picked up the handset in the center console. He heard the command go out when he turned to Dee. "Get me the Admiral."

"He's over on _Colonial One_ meeting with the President, Sir." Dee touched her ear piece, listening closely. "You're through," she related after a moment.

"Admiral."

_"What is it, Colonel?"_

Tigh looked up at the DRADIS screen set above him. "We've reached the M8 Astral Body. I called the fleet to a halt for now."

_"Good. I'll be over as soon as I'm finished here."_

"Yes, Sir." Tigh replaced the handset and turned back to Dee. "Who's on CAP?"

"Hot Dog and Starbuck are, sir." She paused before continuing, "Sir, Commander Fisk is calling."

Tigh rolled his eyes before picking up the handset again. "Yes, Commander."

_"Has the admiral been appraised of the situation?"_

"Yes he has. He's meeting with the President right now on _Colonial One_, and will be back shortly."

Fisk gave a quick acknowledgment then disconnected the line. After a moment or two he turned back to Dee, "Get on the horn and let the rest of our pilots know that we need them ready. We don't know what's out there and if the Cylons are hiding within the M8 body."

"Aye, Sir."

oOoOo

"Admiral on deck!"

"As you were." Adama quickly moved around to the stairs and neared the commander's station set several steps down in the CIC. "So, that's it?" he looked up at the DRADIS screen for a moment before turning his attention back to Tigh.

"Yeah. I've also expanded the CAP. We don't know what the hell is out there in all that hash."

"Mr. Gaeta." Adama turned around.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Any signs of Cylon activity in the area?"

Gaeta examined the information that DRADIS was sending to the tactical station. "Not so far."

"Good. I want you to have the computers scan the star clusters to see if they match any of the constellations we were given while on Kobol."

"Yes, Sir."

Bill turned back to Tigh and asked quietly, "Any word on the civvies' FTL drives that are giving us problems?"

"No, Sir." The Colonel shook his head.

Adama looked back up to the DRADIS again. "I don't like this position. We can be easily pinned against the cloud with no way out."

"Sir?"

Adama turned to Gaeta. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"We have a 50 percent match on several of the constellations."

"That's better than nothing." Tigh gave a slightly wry grin.

"But not good enough. I was hoping it would be higher. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with that low of a match." He scanned the room before letting his eyes settle back on his long time friend. "Get me a count of all the civilian ships that we know their FTL drive is failing. We might have to try and find room on the other ships if necessary."

"Yes, Sir." Tigh turned and moved over to Dee's station and said a few soft words. With a nod she began sending out messages. "Sir?" she said after a few minutes.

"Yes?" Adama moved over to her station.

"Ten ships confirm that they need to have complete overhauls of their FTL drives. If they are used again in their present condition the computers will melt and be of no use to us at all." She hesitated before continuing, "_Colonial One_, is one of them."

"She's small enough to have her permanently docked within either battlestar," Tigh started.

"But I don't want to give preferential treatment to her. That may be the base of our civilian government, but what about the other ships?"

"Well, that's just great, isn't it," Tigh grumbled. He continued a bit louder, "Have our computer techs fan out to those ships and see what they can do."

Dee glanced to Adama for a moment for approval. He gave a quick nod and turned his attention back to the DRADIS screens. "I want the _Pegasus_ to come around, that way both battlestars can be a barrier between whatever is out there and the M8 body." Moving closer to the table, Adama picked up the phone. "Get me _Pegasus_ Actual."

"Aye, Sir."

_"Pegasus Actual."_

"Commander, I want you to bring the _Pegasus_ around so we can use both battlestars as shields."

_"Sir, I'm not - -"_

Adama cut him off, "Fisk, we have at least 10 civilian ships out there that are incapable of jumping right now. We have to do what we can to make sure those ships, and their civilian passengers, survive."

The line was silent for a moment. _"Yes, Sir. Bringing _Pegasus _around."_

Adama replaced the handset, hoping that they could get the issue resolved before there was any loss of life. For a moment he thought about having the noncombatant ships slip into the cloud, but quickly decided against it. There was no telling if they could even navigate out of it once inside.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 2  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

**_Chapter 2_**

Jack O'Bryan stood in the center of the bridge and looked out over the people that were sworn to secrecy. Only the highest levels of the government knew of their whereabouts. The large high resolution monitor set on the wall showed the roiling colors of the nebulae they were hiding within. They were hiding so they could keep at bay the hordes of races that were out in the not so distant reaches of space. Terra had been out exploring and minding her own business when they found out how deadly space could be.

It was her idea, though. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't be in a position to make sure Terra thrived and succeeded. People thought it ironic and funny at first that she wanted to revive the ancient ways of her people. She had kept at it for some time before they finally agreed to her impossible scheme. Once the approval came, she quietly passed the word to anyone that seemed interested. In less than fifteen years they had made a name for themselves. No one wanted to face "The Finns" as they were being called and her Piranha Strike Force.

"Any change?"

Jack turned around and looked at the honey-brown hair beauty standing behind him. Like everyone else, she wore a brown uniform, but hers bore no rank or markings. She need not have them, everyone knew who she was.

"No, they're still there."

She looked at the monitor for some time before speaking again, "I do believe they will be there for a while. Come, Jack, there is something I want you to read." She turned and moved towards the passageway that lead deeper into the bowels of the ship.

Looking around again, Jack always wondered just what went through her mind. No one knew and she seemed more a mystery than anything else. Rumors had it that she wasn't born on Terra and that she wasn't even human. It was impossible, for all government records stated that she was.

"What is it?" he asked as he stepped into the small room. As leader she was allotted a much larger space, but she refused it. She had most of the space converted over to a recreation area for her crew. They worked and fought hard, and she commanded them to play even harder. What was left was a cabin about the same size as was given to the lowest ranked among them. She never thought of herself as their leader, but their servant. Because of that everyone had vowed to follow her to their death if need be. But because of her tactical abilities that had not happened. Hopefully it would not happen for some time to come.

"I found something interesting." She handed him a large tome with strange writing. He rolled his eyes then looked at her. "Mair, You know I cannot read this stuff."

She shook her head. "That is something we are going to have to rectify. I want everyone here to know and speak the old tongue." Mair hesitated before continuing, "Have we had any transmissions come from that group of ships?"

Jack shook his head, "If they did, it's lost in all this hash. We're doing good to be able to see them."

She pursed her lips for a moment, "We're going to have to figure that out. This is something that we will most likely need in the long run." Taking the book back, she turned it around and scanned it for a moment. "It is said that in the earliest versions of the invasion stories of the Mythological Cycle the Tuatha Dé Daanan came from the sky. It is never mentioned where they came from, but they were considered to be, and I quote 'the fairest of form and were a people of magic wonders with esoteric knowledge'."

"So?" Jack shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a myth."

"To you maybe, but it's also ancient traditions and legends. Every legend has a grain of truth to it." She closed the book and set it down.

"So what?" he shrugged again.

"Jack, when you first told me that the fleet out there is comprised of humans, it got me to thinking. I've always thought we were the only humans out here in the galaxy. That whole fleet throws that viewpoint out the window."

Jack sighed. "I know."

"I want to know why they're there, and what their plans are." Mair drummed her fingers on the rather large book. "Jack, I want your people begin work on cutting through the feedback the nebulae is giving us. I want to know what's going on without them knowing we're here."

"Always have to have tactical superiority." Jack gave a short laugh.

"Which is why we're still alive. We need to be one step ahead of everyone that's trying to kill us."

"Or just this ship and you."

"That too." Mair smiled warmly at him. "Now get going before I write you up for lagging."

"Yeah, yeah," he gave a mock complaint as he waived his hand in her direction while heading out the door. When she was alone once again, Mair looked down to the book and opened it up again.

Jack arrived back into the control center of their ship and settled down at one of the computer stations. Mair really wanted to be able to hear what was going on out there, and he didn't blame her for her desire to know. He was just as curious of the newcomers as she was.

Pulling up the audio he systematically began to remove the different elements of the hash they were confronted with. When part way through he started picking up voice elements. The more he worked with it the clearer it became. "Damn," he mumbled. "That almost sounds like. . ." he stopped as he turned to a woman who was sitting beside him. "Angela, could you get the Commander, I really think she needs to be here."

"Sure," she commented as she rose from her seat.

A few minutes later he felt a hand on his shoulder. "What did you find?"

Turning his head he commented as he ran through a series of commands, "Listen." The language that came out was a slight variation of the old tongue. "Holy Mary Mother of God. . ." Mair muttered. Taking a step back she crossed herself as she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and leaned back over.

"It would seem that the original myths of the coming of the Danaans was right." Jack shook his head at the irony of it all.

"My question is why are they there." Mair took a few steps towards the large screen. It showed nothing of the fleet that sensors revealed to them. Truth be told, they didn't need the screen at all. It was just something to fulfill the need of "seeing" what was in front of them.

"Do you want to make our presence known?"

"Negative! Not until I know otherwise will we even breath a word in their direction. The Martoks did this before and we lost an entire fleet to their treachery."

"But they have no idea about the Old Tongue. How would they even begin to trick us like that again."

"Jack, I cannot do that. Until I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are real, we will stay here until further notice." Mair turned on her heels and walked quickly to the back of the room and down the hall.

"I guess all we can do is to listen to what's going on. Anyone here understand the Old Tongue?"

oOoOo

Many hours later the last of the computer techs finally reported their findings to Admiral Adama. On at least half of the ships in question, their FTL computers hard drives crashed and were not able to be brought back up. Adama closed his eyes and sighed. Too many people and not enough space on the other ships. Not only that, but he had no idea how far or how close they were to their goal. With the population so low they could not afford to loose a single soul. He was going to have to come up with something else to solve the problem. Glancing down to his watch he noted the time. Gaeta would be coming by in about an hour for another 'strategy' session, though the younger man had come to call it a brutalizing session under his breath. Adama understood the younger man's view well enough, but that was the only way to learn.

The bosun's tone sounded suddenly over the speakers accompanied by Tigh's voice, "Action Stations, Action Stations. Set Condition One throughout the fleet. This is not a drill. Action Stations, Action Stations. Set Condition One throughout the fleet."

"Frack," Adama muttered under his breath as he moved quickly towards the CIC.

"Admiral on deck!" Dee announced when she caught sight of Adama.

"As you were."

"DRADIS contact, Sir!" Gaeta called out.

"Identify." Adama turned to his tactical officer.

"Cylons, Sir. Two Basestars."

"Launch all VIPERS." Adama knew they were in a very bad position. _This is it_, he thought somberly.

"VIPERS away, Sir."

"Get me Pegasus Actual." He moved over to the Commander's station and picked up the handset.

"Aye, Sir."

Fisk's voice came through the speakers, _"Admiral, we have to get out of here."_

"We can't do anything. If we leave the non-FTL ships we will loose thousands, and if we stay we will loose everyone." Adama disconnected the line without waiting for a responce from the commander. "Are we close enough for the suppression barrage?"

"No, Sir.

Another alarm sounded, this one more ominous than the ones before. "Radiological alarm," one of the specialists called out. It was followed by Gaeta, "Incoming Ordinance!"

"Frack," Adama muttered. He looked to the DRADIS screen. There had been multiple missles. All but one were stopped. There was now nothing he could do to counteract the homing device it was implanted with. "Brace for impact!"

When the explosion did not happen Tigh turned to Gaeta, "What happened?"

"Not sure, Sir. I think the electrical energy field from the nebulae has messed up the homing device."

Adama looked at the screen and realized suddenly that it was now heading towards _Colonial One_. "Get me _Colonial One_'s captain. Now." Adama picked up the small handset.

_"Admiral!"_

"I know. Get away from there as fast as possible, but stay close to that cloud!" Looking up he watched in detached fear the events beginning to unfold before him. At the last minute the nuke angled up and flew past it to impact with the cloud.

_Oh gods, I can't loose her,_ he thought numbly as he helplessly watched _Colonial One_ be completely overwhelmed by the feedback from the explosion.

"Captain! Captain, can you hear me? Are you there?" It took all Adama's considerable will to not yell into the mic. In the background he could hear the VIPER pilots as they continued to engage the cylons.

There were several long moments of silence before they received a faint message through the static. _"Kryptar, kryptar, kryptar. This is Colonial One. Lost engines, lost life support. Have minimal sensor ability. Need help immediately."_

Adama looked back up to the DRADIS. The government ship was closest to the _Pegasus_. "_Colonial One_, do you have thruster control?"

_"Affirmative."_

"I want you to emergency dock with the _Pegasus_."

_"Yes, Sir."_

"Docking during a battle is insane, you know that," Tigh grumbled as he leaned on the center console. Adama's glare stopped Tigh from continuing with his comments. "Yes, Sir." He shook his head as he moved a few steps away.

"Get me Pegasus Actual." Adama turned his attention back to the DRADIS screen.

"Yes, Sir."

oOoOo

Mair stood there silent as she listened to the panicked, disjointed messages flying back and forth across the small fleet. They were outclassed and outgunned by the attacking forces.

Angela turned from her screens and commented, "Commander, we have got to do something."

"I know," Mair answered softly. "I know what it's like for them. . ." She turned to look at the screen then made her decision. "Bring the _Goch_ out of the cloud, keep the shields up and have the Piranhas ready."

"Yes, Commander," she answered crisply. "There's a lot of electronic jamming. It also sounds like the attacking forces use some type of electronic attack." Angela worked her controls, trying to get a clear signal on what they were about to deal with.

"Then we will give them a taste of their own medicine," Mair mumbled. "Get ready the worm," she ordered.

"Aye, Sir," Jack answered while pulling up the necessary information required for a concentrated electronic attack.

oOoOo

_"Frack, what is that!" _Kat's voice came over the speakers

"DRADIS contact, Sir! Coming out of the cloud."

"More Cylons?" Adama asked.

"No know configuration, Sir," Gaeta answered worriedly.

"Ignore them. If they make any threatening move then we will have to get out of here. . .somehow."

The ship that emerged was about half the size of a battlestar. At least sixty small fighters emerged from the underside of the ship and started towards the two Cylon basestars.

"Sir, they're attacking the Cylons." Gaeta shook his head in confusion.

Moments later all the raiders stopped and the two basestars exploded from within. Everyone in the CIC was stunned at the sudden turn of events. Adama's voice eventually cut through the silence, "Have our pilots pursue and destroy remaining Raiders."

"Yes, Sir." Dee answered. "VIPER pilots, pursue and destroy remaining toasters."

_"Aye, aye!"_

With the added support of the unknown ship they were able to quickly eliminate any possible threat the cylon raiders now posed, but Adama wasn't paying any attention to that. He was watching closely _Colonial One_ attempting to dock with the _Pegasus_. With only maneuvering thrusters it slowed the process down to a crawl. When the ship was safely docked Adama turned his attention back to the more pressing matter at hand, the new vessel that had helped them defeat the Cylons.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 3  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

**_Chapter 3_**

Kara Thrace, call sign Starbuck, climbed out of her Mark II fighter. They had more than survived, they had kicked butt, but only with the help with the arrival of that unknown ship. Thankfully she had not lost a single pilot. While peeling off her gloves she contemplated what just happened.

Not bothering to change into her uniform, Kara headed straight for the CIC still in her flight suit. Everyone she passed in the corridors didn't have any answers as to what just happened. Stepping inside the command nerve center she could hear the chatter from both the civilian ships and the comm from the fighters that were on scheduled CAP. "Lee?"

Lee turned towards her voice, but let her continue.

"Have you heard anything from _Colonial One_?"

A ghost of a smile crossed the younger Adama's face before answering, "She was able to successfully dock here. The CMO is checking her passengers just in case there is any radiation poisoning. That missile did explode pretty close to that ship."

"Yeah, I saw it." Kara shook her head.

Lee looked at her again, "All right, now why are you really here?"

For a moment Kara had a sheepish look on her face before answering, "Well, I, um, I'd really like to get my hands on one of those fighters."

"You'll have to talk to dad about that." Lee shook his head. "We haven't heard one peep out of them."

"Major Adama."

Lee turned around to see who was calling for him. He still wasn't fully familiar with everyone's voice, but he knew it would come in time. "Yes?"

"We just received word from Life Station that the President has been released and is wanting to shuttle over to the _Galactica_."

"Thank you," Lee nodded while taking the message he was handed. Turning, he looked to the Commander, not knowing what Fisk was going to do about this.

"Let her go," Fisk shrugged, "And have the Admiral deal with her."

"You still have no idea what we've been through since the Holocaust, do you Commander?" Starbuck asked.

"Kara." Lee's voice held a tone of warning. Moving over closer, he lowered his voice, "This isn't the _Galactica_. You have to play by the rules here."

Some of the earlier tension in Kara's face drained away, leaving behind naked exhaustion. "I know, it's just. . ."

"We have all been through a lot. I know. I was there, remember?" He hesitated before continuing, "Get some rest."

"Not before I finish the paperwork. You know I think it breeds. I leave it alone for one hour and it's twice as high since the last time I looked at it."

"Don't look at me, I'm not CAG," Lee gave her an amused look as he dismissed her. Giving him a quick salute she turned on her heels and quickly walked out of the CIC and down into the Pilot Ready Room.

oOoOo

"Okay, so they now know of us." Jack shook his head.

"Well duh! We just kept them from being shot out of the skies." Angela shook her head at Jack's obvious understatement.

"Children." Mair turned around to look at them with a stern look on her face. She was rewarded with them looking somewhat contrite.

"Sorry," they both mumbled.

"We will keep radio silence for now." _Maybe we've done too much for them,_ she thought to herself. "No," she whispered more for herself as she turned back to the screen. "They were clearly outmatched." Bringing her attention to the crew she continued loud enough for them to hear, "Have the Piranha's come back on board."

"Yes, Commander. Do we set up a patrol?"

Mair hesitated for a moment while turning back to the screen. "No, not now. I don't want to seem too aggressive to them. They are obviously military, so they do have some sort of protocol for flight patrols. Let them do it for us, that is for now."

The fleet that was spread out before her seemed to have about the same level of technology as the Terran Republic, but they also seemed to have been in space much longer. She wondered if it was an ancient civilization, but had stagnated over the centuries, content in what they had and did not work on pushing the technology forward.

"Sir, just got word from our lead pilot, Johnson. He reports that the fleet was using two types of fighters. One was much more advanced than the other."

"When you're at war, you will use anything and everything you can get your hands on to defend yourself." Mair looked down to the reports she was just handed. "How many of our pilots know the old tongue?"

Jack shook his head, "I'm not sure about that. Probably not very many."

Mair shook her head, "That's not good, you know. If need be I will have the computers reprogrammed to only have that language. That way it will force you to learn it."

"Does it help that I keep this phrase book with me?" Angela commented as she held up a small electronic PDA.

"It's better than nothing." Mair gave her a slight smile.

oOoOo

Stepping inside his quarters, Adama found his table piled high with paperwork and Laura standing off to the side with her back to the door. Dee had reported to him earlier about the President's arrival on the _Galactica_, so he wasn't that surprised to find her here. Pulling the door shut he stopped it just short of making any sound then moved behind her. Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder. Jumping, she whirled around and he engulfed her in a strong embrace.

Laura stood there surrounded by the warm bands of Bill's arms. She placed her head on his shoulder and mumbled, "Gods, I was so scared. We could see everything from the windows."

Bill tightened his arms and let a hand move up her back to reach her neck. "It's all right," he whispered.

"What changed your mind?"

"About what?"

"This," she let her hand slide up the front of his jacket to rest over his rank insignia.

Loosening his arms, he pulled back slightly and studied her face closely. "With the cancer I had time to learn to let go. With what happened today, I realized that I hadn't done so yet." He cupped her face with one of his hands. "I almost lost you."

Laura let a small smile cross her face when he pulled her close again. She thought it felt right and she tucked her face into his neck. _Of all the men I could have fallen for, it had to be him_, she mused.

As if on cue, they both backed away from each other. "So, who are these people that stopped the cylons?" she asked as she collapsed on his couch.

"Not sure." Adama collected a couple of glasses and a bottle. "Water?"

"Yes, please."

"I have yet to ask," he answered as he sat beside her while placing everything on the table before them. Filling the glasses he placed the bottle back on the table and handed her one of them. "And they have yet to offer any information."

"I've been hearing things about how the Cylons just stopped. Do you know what went on?"

"The only thing I can think of is that the newcomers somehow sent a computer virus." He leaned back and let her nestle against him.

"You know, with the bit of cylon blood I carry? It's given me the ability to handle higher levels of radiation. Dr. Cottle gave me a clean bill of health after I came on board."

Bill was in the middle of taking a sip then stopped. "Really."

Laura nodded. "Most of the others have to go through radiation treatment. I wish we were further away from the cloud."

"If you were, the missile would have. . ."

Laura brought her fingers up to silence the words that were about to come out of his mouth. "I know." She let her attention be pulled back to his table, that had her paperwork on it. "And I hope you don't mind me using your quarters as my office. I promise that I'll stay in the guest rooms.

"Who said anything about you staying there? What's wrong with staying here?"

"Nothing," she answered flustered. "It's just this isn't, this is your quarters."

"I know." He gave her a smug grin.

"Then," she started slowly, "You'll be staying in the guest quarters?"

"Who said I would be staying somewhere else?" He leaned closer as his voice lowered down to a whisper, "These are my rooms." Bill watched as her eyes closed slowly as he moved the final distance and brushed his lips against hers. Just as she started responding he pulled back and got up. With the sudden support gone she shot a hand out to keep her from falling.

"Damn you Admiral William Adama," she groused. Getting to her feet Laura moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "You're not getting away from me so easily," she whispered into his ear. He reached down and pulled her around to now stand in front of him.

"Laura," his voice was dangerously low, "If I start I'm not sure I'll be able to stop."

Looking into his eyes, she saw how the deep blue now blazed with desire. "Is that why you got up."

"Mostly."

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 4  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

**_Chapter 4_**

Mair looked up at the figure of the woman she had been named after in adoration while fingering the beads on a necklace. She moved methodically through them while mouthing words. There being no priest out in the depths of space, she had to make due with what was available. Her absolution had to be good enough for now, though it bothered her. She had decided early on that the first thing she was going to do when she stepped back on her native soil of Ireland was to go to confessional. Only then would she feel better.

Leaning back, she crossed herself while bowing her head and mumbled a few words. With that completed she rose to her feet and backed away. It wasn't exactly a shrine, it was a grotto for the Catholics that were stationed on the ship. There were other places of worship, synagogues and churches along with a mosque and other temples for the lesser worshipped religions. There was a well known axiom that they still believed: _you will find no atheists in foxholes._ When the fighting started all the areas set aside for worship became very popular with the crew. She tried to make concessions, scarfs for the Muslim women and other articles of clothing for the others. If it did not affect the crewperson in defending themselves, then she allowed it, within reason.

Mair looked out the door and in the direction of the bridge. She knew she had to be the one to reach out to the strangers. This area of space, though they were on the edge of the Terran Republic was a dangerous place to be, and a group of civilian ships would not last long, even with the protection of two capital ships. They needed to be in a safe place, and for humans, the safest was in the inner Sol system. That area was guarded with the most powerful and heaviest ships that had been built. So far nothing had gotten though them, and hopefully it will stay that way for a long time to come.

She stepped onto the bridge almost twenty-four hours after the skirmish.

"Commander, everything's been quiet," Ensign David Harris reported.

"Good." She looked around before continuing, "Have we picked up any transmissions between the ships?"

"Not so far. Either they're on radio silence, or they're using something we're not in any position to pick up." David pulled up another image, "There is something else, though I'm not exactly sure what it is. The modulation seems to have a consistent pattern to it, almost like it's a form of communication."

"Carrier waves?" Mair mumbled while leaning over David's shoulder. "They can't be using radio?"

"Not sure, but now that you mention it, that's what it looks like."

Mair rolled her eyes while shaking her head. "They can't be that primitive."

"Are we going to contact them?" David looked up.

"Yes, we have to. This is a dangerous area." Mair backed up a few steps. "If they are using radio, that means we're going to have to route the signals through our ecm if we want to hear anything they say. I wonder why they don't have anything more advanced that this?"

"Who knows?" Harris shrugged.

Looking at the image on the Hi-Resolution screen Mair finally commented, "When the system is ready I want you to open a channel."

oOoOo

Laura slowly came up from the depths of sleep and turned over to nestle against the warmth she knew would be there. She grew further awake when she found she was alone. Blinking her eyes she let the room slowly come into focus. The only lights that were on were coming from both the head and a single lamp in Bill's office area. Closing them she could feel sleep beckoning her once again. It was rudely interrupted by an insistent buzzing sound that started. It was somewhere near her head. It took a moment before she realized that it was the phone. Reaching back, she knocked something over while trying to get to the handset. Once retrieved she put it next to her ear, only to realize that it was upside-down.

"Hello?" she answered sleepily.

_"Madam President,"_ Bill's voice came across the small speaker.

"I'm awake, I think," she answered as she sat up slowly. It was then she realized she wasn't wearing anything under the covers.

_"Sorry if I woke you up,"_ he said softly. She could hear the background noise associated with the CIC.

"That's all right," she mumbled as she swung her legs off the side of his rack. Her breath hitched a moment when she felt soreness set in suddenly.

_"Are you all right?"_ he asked, concern lacing his voice.

"No, I'm not all right! I'm sore!" she hissed. "And you very well know the reason why. I'm blaming you for it," she grumbled.

Bill's voice lowered to almost a humorous sounding whisper, _"It's not my fault."_

"That's what you all say," she countered as she gingerly stood up. "Have you heard anything from that ship?"

_"Nothing so far."_

Laura looked to the clock, it was some time after reveille. "I'll be in CIC within the hour."

After placing the handset back in its cradle she opened his small locker and retrieved his robe. She noticed that her clothing was hanging neatly to one side. Now sufficiently covered, she went over to her traveling bag and pulled out the toiletries she needed. Reaching his personal head she started setting them up. Looking into the mirror there was a flash and suddenly she was standing on a mound in a green field. Twelve standing stones were placed in equal distances around her and each had carved into them the ancient symbols of the twelve tribes of Kobol. Just as quickly it ended leaving her reeling. She grabbed the edge of the counter to keep her from collapsing. When everything stopped spinning she closed her eyes and tried to bring the image back up. _Why now? I'm not taking the Chamilla anymore_, she thought to herself. Shrugging, she went back to getting herself cleaned up.

Now standing in the shower, Laura thought about what happened the previous evening. They had crossed a line somewhere during that time, but the thought of what his hands could do made it all worthwhile. She only hoped that wasn't going to be the only time.

Slipping on her shoes she stood there while wondering if she could walk without showing that she was still sore. She figured it would be some time before she was fully recovered, they had be quite 'active'.

Taking a step out of Adama's quarters she found her two marine escorts standing there. One seemed to have a slightly smug grin on his face, as if he thought he knew what really happened the previous evening. Ignoring them, she walked smoothly down the hall and in the direction of the CIC never showing that each step made her muscles ache all the more.

When she reached the CIC she stepped inside and to the steps that lead down into the heart of the room, while her escort stayed just inside. Bill was talking to someone on the handset while a woman's voice came through the speakers. _"-- O'Neill of the Terran Republic Forces. You are just inside our territory. My question to you is what are your intentions."_

"Commander, all we are looking for is a safe place." Bill looked up and noticed Tigh indicating the side of the room. Turning around he saw Laura had just arrived.

_"Admiral, this area of space is a dangerous place to be in. You have two capital ships, but that will not stop the Martoks or any of the other races around here. You are lucky that we found you first."_

"I will keep that in mind." He pinched the bridge of his nose. Looking back he indicated with a wave of his head for Laura to take the final steps down into his domain.

It took a moment before Laura realized that she understood what was being said, though the woman had a very odd accent along with strange words thrown in ever so often.

_"I do not like being this forward, but I feel that we need to meet very soon."_

Bill glanced to Laura, a silent question in his eyes. She nodded. "We can have it over here," he finally answered. "I can also have our President attend."

_"That will be fine. I can be over in a little more than an hour. Admiral,"_ she acknowledged his rank before closing down the channel.

"We can understand each other," Laura said. "Do you think?"

"I'm not sure, and will not guess - -"

"Until you have all the facts. I know, I do remember." Laura gave him a slight smile. "So," she looked around before setting her attention back on Adama, "We will be meeting them in about an hour?"

Adama nodded, "Yes, Madam President."

For a brief moment she was hurt that he used her title, then remembered that as of right now their relationship was to remain secret.

Tigh watched the by-play between the two and shook his head. Somehow they had gone from being at each other's throats in the beginning to being completely in-synch with each other. He had no idea what was going on between the two of them.

"Saul, it's the only way we are going to have any chance for survival," Bill commented quietly. "I want you to get on the horn to _Pegasus_. I want her represented at this meeting."

With that said, the two leaders left the CIC to prepare for a meeting they were both wary about.

"I'm not sure about Baltar. I don't want him to come," Laura commented softly.

"He doesn't belong."

"I tried to get him to resign, but he twisted my words around." Laura shook her head.

"Sounds like he's turned into a politician," Adama commented.

Laura glared at Bill, "Not that way. I would know if he's acting like a politician. I have a suspicion that something is behind his actions." Looking down, she realized that she wasn't as sore as she was earlier. "How long before we know who will be coming over from the _Pegasus_?"

Bill shook his head, "I'm not sure about that. Shouldn't be too long."

They stepped inside his quarters. As soon as the door was closed he turned around and pulled her against him, while kissing her hungrily. "Gods, Bill," she gasped as he blazed a trail down her neck. "Wait."

"We've got time," he growled as his hands quickly hiked her skirt up. "For -- ahh -- you. . ." she moaned as he hit a sensitive spot. "Please. . .Later."

Bill managed to pull back. He noticed she wanted it as much as he did, but she was right, now was not the time. "We need to get prepared. No telling what will happen when this meeting starts," she said slowly, trying to control her now raging hormones while pulling her skirt back down.

"Then I need to take care of this," he looked down to the large bulge now in his pants.

"Do you want me to?" she asked sweetly, but with a mischievous look in her eyes.

"If you did, it wouldn't stop there," he answered while moving into her personal space. Pulling back again he went into the head.

Taking a deep breath Laura went over to the table and searched through the paperwork until she found what she was looking for. It was a rather battered copy of the Sacred Scrolls, the same copy that got drenched while on Kobol. Opening it up she began to see if she could find any information concerning Earth other than the Legend of the 13th Tribe. Anything that could be of help to them in the coming meeting.

With her thus preoccupied she was startled by Bill's hands brushing her hair to the side as he reached down for her neck. "I did warn you yesterday," he whispered. Reaching back with her free hand she easily ran her fingers through his short hair, tousling it. Adama eventually backed up and turned around to check in the mirror that his hair wasn't too mussed. Deeming everything fine, he turned his attention back to the table and the mound of paperwork Laura had yet to even touch. When he finally sat down he was a good three feet away from her. "What are you looking for?"

"Any other references to Earth," she answered distracted.

"There isn't any, I've already looked through the Scrolls page by page," Kara answered as she stepped through the door. Behind her was Lee.

"No Commander Fisk?" Laura asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"He told me he doesn't want to have to deal with the civilian authorities." Lee shook his head slightly.

"Because you were my military advisor he thought to send you in his place."

"Seems that way." Lee gave her a slight grin as he went over to the table. "So what's going on?"

"We can understand them," Adama announced. "Other than an odd word thrown in ever so often, we can understand them as well as if they were from one of the other Colonies."

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 5  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

**_Chapter Five_**

"Do you think they're from Earth?" Kara asked.

"Starbuck," Lee looked at her critically.

"Sorry, I was just wondering."

"It's too early to tell at this time. The commander I spoke to was a part of what she called Terran Republic Forces," Bill answered while taking notes on a piece of paper.

"I, uh, saw something this morning."

"What?" Bill stopped and turned his attention back to Laura.

"I'm not quite sure. I swear to you, I'm off the Chamilla, but this happened in the same way as the earlier ones." She paused before continuing, "I was in a green field standing on an earthen mound with twelve standing stones circling the base. Carved within each stone were again the ancient symbols of the Twelve Tribes. The scene was much the same as when we were on Kobal, except it was daylight." She pictured in her mind the image from earlier. "There was something else. Four trails lead up to the center all straight angles from each other, like a circle with a cross on the inside." Laura shook her head. "I'm not sure what it was, but it seemed important." It was then her stomach made a rather noisy protest from not having anything to eat since she woke up.

"No breakfast?" Kara asked while flipping through her own copy of the Scrolls.

"No," Laura answered rather sheepishly. Catching Bill out of the corner of her eye, she tried to stop him as he rose to his feet. "I'll be all right. Don't worry about it."

Adama ignored her feeble attempt at protest while speaking quietly into his phone. "Healthy or not, you still need food," he answered while sitting back down after he was finished.

Laura finally turned her attention to the two younger officers, they seemed intensely interested in Kara's copy of the Scrolls. Letting her eyes settle back on Adama wasn't much better. He was still writing something down. When a knock on the door finally sounded they all jumped. Getting up, Bill went over then came back with a plate of sandwiches. He was careful not to let his fingers brush over hers when he set it down.

"Thank you," Laura finally conceded as she reached for the food. Looking up to Lee she saw he had a slight smile on his face, one, Laura knew, that easily echoed his father's.

Lee leaned over, "When it comes to something like this, don't argue with him."

"Personal experience, Major?"

He nodded.

"Starbuck," Bill cut through the quiet conversation. "Their commander is coming over. I want you and your best pilot out there. If they do anything aggressive I want the threat neutralized. We cannot take any chances here."

"Sir, is there any reasons why?" she asked slowly. Her eyes flickered to Lee for a moment, not sure how he would take the orders either.

Bill was silent for a few minutes while deciding how to answer. "We have ten civilian ships that are incapable of jumping right now."

Laura sucked in a breath. "Is that why we stayed here?"

Adama stared down at the papers before him. He knew when he answered Laura would be extremely angry with him. He also knew that she would then demand to know if _Colonial One_ was one of those ships.

"Yes." He hesitated before continuing, "If that other ship had not arrived I would have had those ships slip into the cloud while we would draw the basestars away from the other civilian ships."

"Admiral, how long had you known about this?" Laura leaned back and crossed her arms.

Bill tensed up, not wanting to answer her question. He knew he had to though. If he didn't, he knew she would order him to. While glancing up he put his command mask on. He was not looking forward to what was about to happen. "Two days."

"Two days!" Laura sat there stunned. "And you didn't tell me about it? Why didn't you at least start the transfer?"

Bill almost slammed his pen down. "What was I to do! We don't have enough space on the other vessels to house all the civilians on those ten ships? The _Geminon Traveler_ alone has at least two thousand. And both the _Pegasus _and the _Galactica_ are military vessels, not pleasure liners."

"You have the space here."

Adama shook his head. His voice turned deadly serious, "No."

Before the argument spiraled any further out of control Kara stood up. "You know, I've really got to get down to the flight deck." Saluting quickly she turned around and headed out of the room. Lee was about to follow, but Bill stopped him. "Wait, Lee. I'm going to need you here."

The younger Adama turned back around and found that the two had managed to calm down somewhat. "Any reason why, Sir?"

Bill took a breath and closed his eyes for a moment. "I want the _Pegasus_ represented when we meet with them."

Lee's eyes widened as he comprehended the situation. He sat back down, "You said we can understand them."

"Yes, though the accent is nothing I've ever heard." Laura shook her head.

oOoOo

Jogging down the hall, Kara's mind kept wandering back to what she just witnessed. She hadn't seen the Old Man that angry in a long time. Some of her fellow shipmates said he had been furious when she left for Caprica. That, she could believe. Turning around, she found that Lee hadn't followed her. Hopefully to keep the two from killing each other.

Sliding down some stairs she cursed quietly. She had forgotten about asking if she could get close up and personal with one of those fighters. Reaching the door to one of the pilot bunk rooms, Kara stopped. "Kat. Get your flightsuit on."

"Sir?"

"You heard me!" Starbuck turned on her heels and moved towards the pilot ready room, not bothering to see if her order was complied. The pilots all knew her though, they would never dare not show up. A few minutes later the darker skinned pilot walked through the doors, just finishing up with the suit. "Any reason why, Sir?"

"The Old Man wants us to play escort, but with teeth."

It took a moment before Kat realized what was expected. "Now?"

"Yeah, now." Starbuck turned and headed down to the flight deck, this time with Kat right behind her.

oOoOo

Bill went over once again to his office area. This time he needed to talk to Saul and let him know what was going on. Getting off he turned his attention back to the two that were still in his quarters. Moving over Adama made sure that he did not touch Laura in any way. For now he wanted his relationship with her to be completely private.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how badly damaged is _Colonial One_?"

Lee frowned slightly. "Not good. I'm not sure how your captain was able to do it, but the entire electrical grid was blown. If we can't rewire it, then we need to completely replace it."

Laura looked down to her hands, "That means I'll be either stranded on the _Galactica_ or _Pegasus_ for the foreseeable future."

"Looks like it, Ma'am," Lee answered rather apologetic.

"What about the crew and people on board?"

"Last I heard they were responding well to the treatment. Mr. Keykeia should be back over here in about a week, at the latest."

Laura let her shoulders sag in relief. Billy had turned into the only family she had left, and she knew it was the same for him.

Eventually Bill got up and began gathering some of the papers he had been making notes on. "Where is this going to happen?" Lee asked as he stood up.

"Ward Room."

They walked quietly to their destination, each in their own thoughts. Stepping through the door Bill leaned over, "Guard you thoughts," he said quietly to Laura, not knowing how he could explain the concept to her any better than that. Turning his attention to Lee he nodded slightly as if to re-enforce their earlier conversations. All they could do now is wait. The younger Adama nodded in answer as they sat down and looked at the papers now spread out before them.

oOoOo

Starbuck sat in the cockpit and looked out over the inky blackness of space surrounding her. To her right was Kat's VIPER. The only thing they could do now was wait. Turning around, Starbuck could just make out the rest of the ships if they were not backlit by the roiling colors of the nebulae. The CAP flight wove in and around the ships, making sure everything was as it should be. She had contacted them and let them know some of what was going to happen. Turning back around, she looked at the unknown ship again.

_"How long are we going to be out here waiting?"_ Kat grumbled over the comm.

"As long as it takes." She could fully understand the other pilot's boredom. _Showtime,_ she thought when a smallish ship appeared. "Follow my lead. Don't fire on them unless you are provoked."

_"Understood, Sir."_

Hitting her burners Starbuck's VIPER quickly accelerated towards what could only be considered a shuttle. Kat's VIPER close behind. When they reached it they passed on either side and then came back around on opposite sides. The trio quickly moved towards the _Galactica_ and her one functioning flight pod. They had yet the time or the personnel to convert the other one back to a hanger deck. Entering into it, Starbuck let Kat lead the way. The newer pilot's VIPER eventually settled down on one of the many elevators. Once securely in place it was lowered into the deck where it could be prepared for its next flight.

When the shuttle settled down on the elevator deck Starbuck waited until it had been lowered down then hit her turbos and left to go back to the _Pegasus_.

oOoOo

Mair walked down the stark drab corridor, eyes darting in every direction. Without looking, she knew her only other companion from their ship was doing the same thing. They had been met in the hanger by the Executive Officer. Now she was following their escort with two armed guards trailing behind them. Each time they passed a closed door with writing she was only able to catch a fleeting glimpse of it. Making another turn they found themselves in a hallway that ended with another door. Like the others, this one had writing on it, but the characters were unknown to her. Two guards stood outside and on either side of the door. They were armed similarly to the ones that were guarding them, and looked very dangerous.

Reaching it, they were stopped for a moment while the door opened before them. Mair recognized it almost immediately as a ward room of some type. There were three people already gathered inside. Mair hesitated for a moment before crossing the threshold, while Lt. Angela Glennan followed a few steps behind. The room was of decent size. On the back wall were several flags, but she was not able to see what their designs were. About ten feet in front of them was a table with several chairs. Of the people gathered, only one did not wear a military type uniform.

"You are Commander O'Neill?" Mair recognized the man's voice immediately. It belonged to the one she spoke with on the conn.

"Yes," she nodded as she took a step towards them.

"Please, have a seat," the nonmilitary woman spoke while indicating a chair.

Mair looked back to see where Angela placed herself. The ebony-hair Scot had backed up against the wall, observing everything. Turning back to the group, she quickly found her seat. "You are?"

The woman glanced to her admiral then turned her attention back. "President Roslin. You have already met the head of my military."

"Why are you here?"

"We are searching for something, a place actually."

"Does this place have a name?"

After all this time, Laura suddenly felt embarrassed at the symbol of their hope. Looking to the woman before her she wondered what knowledge she held. Beneath the table, she felt Bill's hand settle gently on her knee, as if to let her know that he was there supporting her decisions. The simple touch wasn't sexual, but one to lend her strength. "It sounds odd, but we've always called it 'Earth'. It's an ancient legend of ours that one of our tribes left and found Earth while the other twelve went in another direction."

"Are you sure that is the name?"

Laura nodded. "It is our last hope."

Mair nodded thoughtfully and was silent for a minute. "Like I said earlier, you are in a dangerous place. What I want to know is who were the ones that were attacking."

The two Colonial leaders glanced to each other for a second. "They are attempting destroy us."

"Terra has enough enemies as it is. You are looking to join this 13th tribe?"

"Hopefully, yes, or at least give us sanctuary before we can go back." Laura nodded. "What you see out there is all we have left of our civilization."

"What would you say if I told you that I could get you to a relatively safe place?" Mair asked slowly.

"We all would be eternally grateful," Bill answered.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 6  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

**_Chapter Six_**

_Gaius._

Baltar never bothered to look up from experiments with the cylon blood they now had. "What is it this time?" he didn't even bother to check to see what she was wearing.

_Don't you want to know what's going on in the Ward Room?_

This piqued his interest. He looked up, noting for the first time she was wearing her blue dress, "What do you mean?" His eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if she was toying with him. Leaning back, he for once smiled at the shimmering image before him.

_Oh, just that the Colonial President is meeting with people from another ship._

"That means nothing. She's met with many people from the different ships." Six leaned in and caressed his cheek with her lips.

_But this one isn't a member. This ship came from somewhere else._

S-somewhere else?" he stammered as the two front legs of his chair hit the deck suddenly.

The image of Six walked slowly around Gaius while letting a finger trace a path over his shoulders and around his neck. _Someplace you might find very interesting_, she whispered into his ear.

"'Ward Room' you say?" Baltar turned around for clarification. The only answer he received was a slow smile spreading across her face.

"I am the Vice President," he said to himself as he stood up and headed out the door. "I should be informed about the important things in the fleet." The more he thought about it though, he felt his anger begin to grow. Roslin was leaving him out more and more. Even Zarek was getting more information than he was, he thought disgustedly.

As he moved down the hall, ignoring the crew, he was thankful yet again that the nuke was off the ship. Gina had it somewhere at the present time, but he didn't know where for sure.

"What makes you think that we will truly try and offer you sanctuary?" Mair sat back, trying to get comfortable. There was a niggling feeling in the back of her head for a moment. What bothered her was their seemingly more than ready acceptance of her offer.

"All we need is someplace to regroup and settle on a temporary basis." Laura closed her eyes for a moment.

"I will need to go back to my ship and contact command before anything else is done here." Mair paused for a moment, "I would hope you would accept the offer of having a liaison type of situation for our two sides."

"Having one of your officers over here?" Bill asked, not entirely sure about the situation.

"Yes, and you having one of your officers on my ship." Mair smiled slightly.

O'Neill's offer was not what they were expecting. Bill leaned over and said quietly, "I still don't trust them." Laura answered with the barest nod.

Pushing back from the table, Laura spoke while rising, "I need to discuss this with Admiral Adama."

"Of course," Mair nodded while closing her eyes. When they were open, all three were in the back corner, using hushed tones.

"If we do this, I want someone over there I can trust." Unconsciously Bill touched her arm.

"I agree with you. The question is who do you trust?" Lee glanced back over to their visitors before bringing them back into the discussion.

"Does it have to be military, can we have a civilian over there?"

"No," Bill shook his head while dropping his hand. "I don't think that would be a wise decision. A civilian would be like a loose cannon."

Laura finally nodded, "All right. Who then?"

"Starbuck's been telling me that Helo is spending too much time with Sharon. If he is, I think we need to get him out of there and doing something more productive."

Bill looked over to Lee with a thoughtful look on his face. "I know he is. This is a good way to get him out of there."

"And doing something constructive," Laura finished. With a slight indication of her head, they all moved back over to the table. "For now, we will accept the offer of having a liaison over here."

Mair nodded. "You can have your officer come over when he or she feels ready."

Feeling the first meeting was over for now, they all stood up. "Before I leave, I do need to tell you that very few people can understand this language."

"I thought. . ." Laura's voice faded in surprise while they moved towards the door. The other Terran that had come had moved from her position and moved towards Mair. With a nod the two went out of the Ward Room and back towards the Hanger Deck.

Bill closed his eyes for a moment, from the very beginning of the interview he could not read the two, it was as if they knew they were being watched.

"Dad?" Lee said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sure if it's me or not, but I couldn't read them. I think I need more practice."

Moving back over to the table, Bill picked up the papers he brought. "No you don't."

Just as they were getting ready to leave, Baltar showed up. How he had found out about the meeting, they would never know, but he was here now. "Madam President, why wasn't I notified about this?"

"About what?" she answered coolly while crossing her arms.

"This!" he stormed into the almost empty room. "Where are they?" He ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"Vice President Baltar, I attended a meeting with my senior military officer. There are some things that a vice president is not privy to."

"But I should be."

"Not now because you're not the president."

"Oh, but I will be soon enough," he answered smugly as he left the way he came.

"I swear, I didn't tell him anything." Laura held her hands up in supplication. "I have no idea where he gets in information."

"Same here," Bill answered.

oOoOo

O'Neill and Glennan took the same route back to the hanger that they came in. "How did it go?" Angela asked quietly as they rounded another turn.

"As well as to be expected. They are acting and thinking like refugees, even when they have a military and civilian government. I'm going to have to get a couple of capital ships out here to help them."

"Will Admiralty allow it?"

"They'll have too. They're humans and they are our cousins." Mair stopped suddenly and leaned up against the bulkhead as she sucked in a breath while wincing.

"How close are we to the shuttle?" Angela asked, worry masked her voice.

"Not. . .far," Mair answered while gritting her teeth. _Why now, why couldn't it have been on the shuttle_, she bemoaned to herself.

"And you didn't bring your cane." Angela shook her head as she helped Mair to move again.

"Stop nagging," Mair groused.

"How you got to where you are now, I will never know."

"And I will keep it that way."

The rest of the trip went somewhat slower. When they reached the shuttle Mair turned around and handed the other woman a PDA. "Lt. Glennan. I am making you my liaison here."

Angela's jaw dropped. "P-permission to speak freely, ma'am?"

"Granted."

"Why me! I don't understand the language at all."

"It is a part of your heritage, and plus I trust you to do what's right."

Angela closed her eyes. "I'll never be able to learn," she complained in her last effort.

"Do not worry about that. You will learn the language very quickly. I dare say you will be fluent in a very short time. The PDA has your basic phrases that you will be able to use. That will get you started. When I get back I will have your things and a transceiver sent over for easier communications."

Just as Angela was getting Mair settled back into the shuttle, they both heard the executive officer's voice from just outside. "It seems that the Admiral told me there's to be some sort of liaison here." He took a step just inside.

"Yes," Mair answered as calmly as possible through her pain. "Lt. Glennan here will my, the Terran representative." She turned her attention back to Angela, "Don't worry, it'll be all right."

Angela gave her a somewhat shaky nod as she held onto the PDA tighter. She had been attempting to learn the language, but this was not the way she wanted it to happen. Taking a deep breath, the Scot backed out of the shuttle and followed the executive officer to what she hoped was a safe place to be. She watched in silence as the shuttle rose in the now weightless environment of the hanger bay and flew out to the ship. When gone, she turned back around and found the XO on the comm talking to someone. Having no idea what was going on, she desperately hoped that it wasn't bad, though she could defend herself if provoked.

When the door finally did open, another younger officer with black hair stepped through. Something was said, but she wasn't sure if it was a name or an introduction.

"Oh great," Tigh complained under his breath.

"What is it, Sir?"

"Lt. Gaeta, the Old Man permitted a liaison on the ship."

"By the way she's acting, she has no idea what we're saying."

"That's about it. I want you to make sure she learns." And with that Tigh left the whole situation in the tactical officer's lap.

"Sir?" Gaeta asked as he turned around, but Tigh didn't answer for he was already gone.

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 7  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach: " "  
English speach: ' '

_**Chapter Seven**_

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Bill?" Laura asked as she stepped through the door into Adama's quarters. "And what was that you and Lee were talking about?"

Adama closed the door behind him. "It's the best we can do for now. I'm not sure how far we can trust them." He walked over to a side cabinet and retrieved a bottle with two glasses. "And at this time I do not wish to discuss the issue with Lee." Adama handed her a glass of water then sat down on the couch.

The sudden awkward silence was cut short by comm buzzing. Getting up, Bill went over to his office area and picked up the receiver, "Adama. . .yes, I did. . .Helo. Have him report here." Terminating the conversation he placed the receiver back in its wall socket.

"Everything's changed, Bill," Laura's voice came from behind him.

Turning around, he gave a single nod as he went back over to his couch to sit down.

"I can understand you not wanting to talk about. . ." she let her voice drift off.

"It's something few people know about." He shook his head, not willing to comment any further on it, then changed the subject. "Commander O'Neill chose the officer that accompanied her to be their liaison."

"I'm not sure she'll be able to understand us." Laura looked around the room for a moment before setting back on Adama.

"I know, but we've never had to deal with this type of issue before, even within the Colonies. We might - -" he was interrupted by a knock at the door. Getting up he walked over to the door and opened it up. Lt. Agathorn was standing just outside.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Lt. Please step inside." He would have brought the young lieutenant to his table, but it was covered with Laura's work, so they stayed somewhat close to the door. After closing it he turned to face the ECO. "I have a job for you, Helo. For the time being I am assigning you to be our liaison on our visitor's ship."

"Sir?" Helo blinked in surprise.

"I want someone over there that I can trust. I do inform you that there will be very few people you will understand."

"Yes, Sir." Helo nodded, still in shock. After a moment or two he seemed to shake himself out of it. "How long will I be there?"

"Until we can find a suitable replacement," Laura spoke for the first time.

"But what about. . ." the young lieutenant faded off.

Adama stepped closer and hardened his expression. "Lt. Agathorn, you are a Colonial Officer first and foremost, do not forget that."

Lowering his head, Helo finally nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Good. I expect them to send over another shuttle. Talk to Colonel Tigh and get a transceiver so you can make daily reports, and collect your gear. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir." Helo saluted and turned on his heels to exit the quarters.

"How long?" Laura asked while going back over to the couch when they were alone once again.

"I'm not sure, though I do expect him to head to the brig first." Sitting down beside her, he gently brushed a lock of her hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. She closed her eyes and leaned into the warm touch.

"Bill?" she asked quietly. "I will have to talk to the Quorum and then the fleet. If we could see everything on _Colonial One _you can be sure so could everyone else." Opening her eyes, she looked at him for a moment before pulling back and picking up her glass.

"How soon?" he asked seriously.

"Well, with the Quorum, it will have to be very soon. Normally I would have this on _Colonial One_, but with it out of commission, I'm going to have to have everything here, including the message to the fleet."

Bill nodded as he rose and walked over to his table. Searching through the stacks, he found what he was looking for and returned. "You will need to think about what you want to say to everyone."

Laura slowly reached out and took the notebook and pen offered. "At least I'll not be disturbed with government matters when trying to figure out what to say."

oOoOo

Lt. Gaeta looked at the woman before him. Her uniform was of a color he would have never thought, brown. It was somewhat formfitting, which he thought might be a bit of a problem. With her not knowing the language made him uncomfortable. It was nothing he would have ever expected. The population of the Colonies all spoke the same language. She was obviously human, but spoke something different. "Ma'am?" he tried, not expecting her to understand. Not getting her attention, he stepped over to her and touched her shoulder. She jumped and immediately took what looked like an defensive posture. Stepping back he raised both hands to show that he meant no harm. "Sorry."

For a moment she stayed there, breathing hard. Finally calming down somewhat she looked at him in confusion then looked at the instrument she held in her hand. Pressing a few buttons she shook her head with what looked like frustration, then ran her hand through her short hair.

What do I do, he asked himself. Better yet, what do I start with first. Making his decision he tapped his chest with his finger and said, "Felix."

She looked at him for a long moment before answering in the same way, "Angela." She looked down again and pressed a few buttons. What she said next surprised the tactical officer, "I am learning, please be patient." Her accent was odd, but he could completely understand her. He nodded.

Angela's expression relaxed, as if relieved that he could understand her.

"Come." He indicated the door and hoped that she would know to follow him. This would be a long few days or weeks until she learned enough to communicate with the rest of the crew, he thought.

Stepping into the corridor he glanced back to see if she had followed. Breathing a sigh of relief seeing her just behind him, he gave her a quick nod and moved off towards the guest quarters. She would be staying there until either a new liaison officer came on board, or she be assigned somewhere else. With each turn he continued to glance back, just to make sure she was still there.

"Where?"

Gaeta stopped and turned to look at her. "Guest quarters." He turned back around and continued. When they reached their destination it was only around the corner from Adama's. For a moment he hesitated, not entirely sure if their Admiral was staying in these, or the President. With _Colonial One_ out of commission for the time being, he knew the President had decided to stay on the _Galactica _for now. Not taking the chance, he went to the second guest quarters and opened the door. It was somewhat sparsely furnished, but much more spacious than any of the officer's quarters.

'Thank you,' she said quietly as she stepped through the door and into where she would be staying for the time being.

Gaeta furrowed his brow for a moment, not quite understanding what she said. It took a moment before he realized that was the other language. It was more guttural, but not harsh sounding. Giving her a slight smile, he went over to the comm and punched a few buttons. "Dee, could you get me the Admiral please? Yes, I'll wait. . .Sir. . .yes, we're in the secondary guest quarters. . .The Colonel, pardon my language, dumped it in my lap. . .When. . .all right, but she doesn't understand much of anything. Yes, Sir." He placed it back in its cradle and turned back. For a time he was at a loss for words, not exactly sure how he would do this. Adama did want her in the CIC soon enough, but didn't know when she could go.

oOoOo

Mair stepped out of the shuttle leaning heavily on the door frame. Taking a step she then leaned heavily on her cane. What she needed was to get to her quarters and take her medicine, but that wouldn't do today. She needed to contact the Admiralty and tell and request with hindsight the liaison situation. Of course, she knew they would be angry with her, and also push her to take a medical retirement, but she wouldn't, she couldn't. They needed her out here, and her superiors knew that. There was no one nearly as qualified as she was that was available to take over. Even the men and women beneath her weren't at the same level she was. Knowing what needed to get done, she would do it and then take the medicine and be out for several hours.

There was nothing wrong with her, that much the scans stated, but her crew all knew what she had. When needed, they would vouch for her. That was something she would always be in debt to them. Which is why it was so hard for her to have Angela as her liaison. She would be loosing one of her officers, and that's something she never accepted gracefully.

Making it to the elevator, she leaned against the wall while directing it to the communications level. Within a moment the door opened. Taking a step forward she could feel as well as see the crew turn to her. Before she could take another wobbly step, Jack came up to her while shaking his head.

'Don't even say it,' she commented while leaning heavily against him. Using her cane as a pointer she indicated Harris. 'Over there.'

Jack nodded and helped her over. Sitting heavily in a chair she hissed in pain while closing her eyes. 'Harris, I need you to send a message to the Admiralty about what happened.'

'Commander, are they refugees?'

She nodded while slowly calming her breathing.

'Where's Angela?'

Mair looked up and saw that Jack was looking to the door she had just emerged from. 'She is our liaison for now. That is until Admiralty decides to get off their collective duff and send a professional out here.'

'Anything else you want to tell them?' Jack asked while raising an eyebrow.

'Only that we're going to need a couple of capital ships out here, preferably ones that have big guns. I also need to contact them again, we're going to have to send over another shuttle with Angela's things along with a transponder for her pda.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' Harris nodded letting his fingers flit over the communications console. Bringing up the emc controls, Harris had the signals transmit through jamming equipment. 'You're on.'

'Thank you.'

"Admiral Adama?"

_"Yes Commander?"_

"I will be sending over another shuttle with Lt. Glennan's personal items. I will also have a transponder sent over so she will not be completely cut off from us."

_"I understand. I will have our officer return on that shuttle."_

"There is one other thing. I will be contacting my superiors and asking for a couple of our capital ships sent out here. Admiral," she acknowledged him then had the transmission cut. 'Harris, per my orders, contact the Admiralty and tell them what we need. You will know where to find me.'

Taking a deep breath, Mair used her cane and pushed herself to her feet and slowly limped out of the command center and back to her quarters.

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 8  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach: " "  
English speach: ' '

**_Chapter Eight_**

'Commander?' Jack knocked on Mair's door, not quite sure if she was in any condition to have any visitors.

'Open the door, Captain,' a tired voice came from the small speaker set in the door controls.

Opening it, Jack found her curled up on her bed, under a blanket, in almost in a fetal position. 'Bad one?' he asked as he moved across the small room. Her quarters were sparsely decorated. Passing by her token chair, he brought it with him to the side of her bed and sat down on it.

'No worse than normal,' she answered while shaking her head.

Jack looked down to the paper in his hand. Folding it up, he stuffed it in a pocket. 'The shuttle with Glennan's things along with a transceiver is on its way. Also, Admiralty's sent an answer.'

Mair raised her head slightly and looked closely to her First Officer. If he was uncomfortable, he didn't show it. He was about as unreadable when he wanted to be as she was. 'Which is?'

Jack touched a panel the chair arm rest. It activated a screen set in a position that Mair could see without having to get up.

_Commander O'Neill, per your request we are sending two _Scimitar _class frigates and two _Atlantis _class destroyers. They will arrive within the day. You are also commanded to assess the threat level this fleet shows, if any, and take action accordingly. If you see the threat level is sufficiently lowered, bring them to the outer Sol System. You are then ordered to report directly to HQ._

Mair closed her eyes, 'I knew it would only be a matter of time,' she mumbled.

'Will the Admiralty force you to take a medical retirement?'

Mair gave him a ghost of a smile, 'I wouldn't be surprised. They've started getting very vocal lately in their objections of me being out here with what I have.'

Jack shook his head while protesting, 'It hasn't stopped you from doing your job.'

She reached out a hand and touched his arm. 'Your concern is appreciated, but you're below me. I don't think they will take that into consideration when I meet with them.' Mair rolled over to her back. 'I would also have preferred to have four _Atlantis_ class destroyers, but the frigates will be able to take up part of the slack.'

'I guess we need to contact the refugees to warn them about the ships.' Jack stood up and moved the chair back to where he found it.

'I can write out phonetically what you need to say to them, but then they'll answer and ask questions.' She sat up slowly.

Moving back over quickly, Jack pushed her back down. 'You're in no position to do this. If need be I can get the CMO to order you to stay here.'

Mair's eyes flashed dangerously. 'Captain O'Bryan, you are treading on thin ice.'

Jack backed up quickly while raising his hands in supplication. 'I'm only worried about you. You do know we've been very lucky so far. I'm just afraid that you'll have one of your attacks in the middle of a fight.'

Mair dropped her shoulders. 'If you're that concerned, then pipe it down here,' she suggested. 'They don't need to know of my condition.' She gave a short laugh, 'I wonder what they're going to think about the destroyers. They're close to the size of those two big military ships the refugees have.'

Jack smiled. 'I would think they would be either scared out of their minds, or relieved. Probably a little of both.'

Mair nodded. 'Let me know when you contact them. I'll do it from here.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' Jack answered crisply while standing to attention. He saluted, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to answer in her current position.

'You're dismissed, Captain.' She paused while flashing him a smile, 'Now get out of here.'

Smiling, Jack nodded while backing up. He quickly left her quarters and went back to the Command center. The sound seemed to drop for a moment as everyone turned their attention to Jack. Moments later it rose back up to previous levels. 'How is she?' Harris asked as O'Bryan came over to the Ensign's station.

'No worse than she would be.'

Harris nodded, 'And the answer from the Admiralty?'

'Commander O'Neill will talk to them from her quarters.' Jack stood up and looked around. 'Attention everyone.' He waited until everyone's eyes were set on him. 'Admiralty will be sending four ships out here. Two _Scimitar_ class frigates and two _Atlantis_ class destroyers. We will stay with the refugees until further notice. Admiralty has also wanted us to assess the threat level and act accordingly.'

Lieutenant Daniel Thompson, who had taken over Angela Glennan's position, spoke up for the first time. 'Sir, I've done scans and almost all of those ships are incapable of putting up any type of resistance. In fact, some reports I'm getting back state that some of those engines are getting extremely inefficient, and seem to be getting worse.'

'We know that, Lieutenant, they most likely know it, but the Admiralty does not. They're not the ones out here judging to see how dangerous they could be.' Jack sighed then turned his attention back to Harris, 'Are you ready for this?'

'Yes, Sir,' he answered. 'I just need to get it piped down to Commander O'Neill's quarters. Shouldn't take too long.' After a moment or two, Harris turned his attention back to O'Bryan. 'We're ready now. Just need to contact them.'

'Commander?' Jack asked.

'I'm here,' Mair's voice came over the speakers. 'This is why I wanted everyone to learn the Old Tongue.'

'How did you know there might be others out here?' Jack finally gave voice to his curiosity.

'I didn't. I've always believed that if the language dies, then so does their history. We still need to contact them before our ships show up.'

'Yes, Sir.' Harris let his fingers dance over the EMC controls, activating the transmitters.

oOoOo

"Maybe I should make a press release and then when we get more information, a full press conference." Laura put the end of her pen in her mouth. Crumpled up sheets of paper were scattered around her and on the floor, earlier offerings of a possible speech she was attempting to write.

"It would be easier. Do you want me to release it?" Bill asked, looking up from a book he had started reading.

"That might be best for now. How about this: _I know you have seen the ship that joined us recently. We are here in the _Galactica_'s Ward Room because _Colonial One _is not in any condition for government press releases. Admiral Adama will be able to tell you more of their arrival. We do know they seem to be fully human and we can understand some of them. They have offered us a safe place to either settle or re-coop our losses. As of right now there has been an exchange of liaisons on either side. If you all remember, they easily destroyed two attacking Cylon Basestars and kept us from loosing any of our civilian ships._" Laura set the notebook down on her lap while looking hopefully towards Bill.

He shook his head. "You make it sound like you're in a press conference. This will be press release, so just get to the point."

Laura dropped her shoulders while closing her eyes. "I never knew just how hard speech writing is."

"It's not speech writing that's hard, it's the press releases that'll get you in the end."

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "Sounds like you have personal experience with it."

Adama shrugged his shoulders, "Some."

"All right, I guess I'll try it again." She tore off the sheet and started crumpling it up.

"Don't do that, what you've got is a good start. Just work from there."

Laura looked up quickly and nodded slowly as she smoothed it out Closing her eyes again she started concentrating on what she could say. Her thoughts were interrupted by short buzzing, then Bill answering the call.

"What's going on?" Laura asked as he moved across the room

"I'll let you know," he answered while opening the door.

"Wait, Admiral," she called.

Bill turned around to find her slipping on her shoes. "I'm coming with you."

He seemed to think it over before finally offering his arm. Taking that as a 'yes', Laura came up and curled her hand around his arm. When their fingers touched, they both gave a short squeeze then released to a more formal position. "Where is the liaison?" she asked as they moved into the hall. Her marine guard fell into step behind them.

"Secondary Guest Quarters." Just as they were passing the door, Laura stopped. "I would think it would be a good idea for her to come."

"That, and the fact that Lt. Gaeta is with her. I would prefer him to be in CIC."

Laura shook her head while smiling. "What are you waiting for?" Releasing his arm, she moved over to the door and placed her hand on it. She hesitated when she realized that it wasn't closed all the way, so she pushed it open. The Terran was sitting down and pointing to something and had Lt. Gaeta tell her what it was then entering it into some type of small computer.

Laura turned her head to look at Bill, "She's learning our language." The President turned back to the scene before her then stood to the side letting Bill enter. "Lt. Gaeta."

"Sir." Gaeta stood quickly to attention.

"As you were. I would prefer you to be in the CIC right now."

"Sorry, Sir." The lieutenant looked down.

Bill's voice lowered, "Off duty you can help her learn. I need you in CIC."

"Yes, Sir."

"Come." Adama ordered while turning around and leaving the rooms.

Gaeta glanced to Angela for a moment, surprised that she was smiling. "Come," she repeated while moving to the door. The lieutenant nodded while following her out.

When they reached CIC, Adama immediately went over to Dee and grabbed a handset while nodding.

"Admiral Adama."

_"Admiral, I wish to inform you out of curtesy that I have received conformation that we will have four ships, two frigates and two destroyers on their way. They will arrive sometime today._"

"Thank you, Commander."

_"And a shuttle with Lt. Glennan's personal items is on its way, along with a transceiver for easier communications."_

Adama's brow furrowed, "This is difficult for you?"

_"You have no idea what we have to do to speak to you like this."_ O'Neill paused, _"Is my liaison there?"_

Adama turned around and found that Glennan had followed them to the CIC. Her eyes were wide and taking in everything around her. "Yes." Walking over to her, he handed her a headset.

Angela slowly reached out and took it then put it on the way she saw others in the room do it.

_'Lt. Glennan?'_

Angela gave a smile of relief. 'You have no idea how good it is to understand someone.'

_'Don't worry, it'll come. You'll be fine. And I trust you do to what's right. I want you to watch and assess their threat level to us on the inside. This comes from the big guys.'_

'Yes, Sir. I understand,' she answered while nodding. Looking around she found they were watching her, but with blank looks on their faces.

_'Good luck.'_

_"Admiral Adama?"_

Angela handed the headset back to Bill. "Yes, Commander."

_"I will work with your liaison to help him or her understand us here._"

"Thank you, he will greatly appreciate your help. Commander," he acknowledged her then disconnected the line.

"Admiral," Laura asked from across the plotting table. "It sounds like they have a totally different communications setup than ours."

"It would seem." He turned his attention back to the liaison.

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 9  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach: " "  
English speach: ' '

**_Chapter Nine_**

Angela let her eyes move around the multi-layered, multi-stationed room. It was obviously the heart of the ship she was on. The odd part was that it had no HD screens showing what was going on outside the ship, not that it was needed. There were much smaller screens all over the place that were giving sensory data to be acted upon. One of the cluster that was hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room had many blips on the screen and one off to the side marked with a different color. That one had to be her home ship.

The military organization she represented was an integral part of the Terran Defense forces; but, like the highly specialized teams of old, such as the Navy SEALS or Delta Force, they were allowed to have some freedoms that other organizations were not given. Even though the rules seemed relaxed, they weren't, the minimum requirement of every officer on board was to have a black belt in any form of martial arts that the officer chose. They were also encouraged to take up a specialty. One of Angela's was infiltration. This assignment though was going to be much harder because she was not notified beforehand and that did not need to hide. Her orders were to assess the fleet's strengths and weaknesses, if any, and act accordingly. If the nerve center of the ship she was on was any indication, the fleet was having a hard time dealing with the situation.

The men and women stationed in what she would eventually find out as the Combat Information Center, CIC for short, were exhausted. They seemed alert enough, but with one more glance around the room, she could tell that they had not had any decent down time. No rest. _I wonder how long this has been going on_, she thought to herself.

"Lieutenant Gaeta, I need you to take Lieutenant Glennan to Life Station so Dr. Cottle can examen her."

Angela turned when she heard her name. Hearing everyone using the Old Tongue was almost too much for her to take in. She saw Admiral Adama talking to Felix, she had yet to learn his last name, and it sounded like their short conversation was about her. There was another exchange then the younger officer turned his attention to her. "Come."

Nodding, she followed him up and out of the room. Once out in the corridor she turned on her pda and scrolled down through the phrases, looking for something she could use. When she found what she was looking for she lightly touched his arm to get his attention then asked, "What is your name?"

He seemed confused for a moment, as if he thought that she already had that information. A moment later, he realized what it was she needed. "Lieutenant Felix Gaeta."

Angela closed her eyes, trying to figure out what the first word was, it had to be a rank, she had heard Adama use it before while in CIC. Not knowing if hers was any different she decided to use the English designation she was used to. "Lieutenant Angela Glennan." She paused then continued, "Where?"

Gaeta's brow furrowed a moment before answering, "Life Station."

Angela searched through her limited database for anything that would match what he just said. Not finding anything, she shrugged her shoulders then let him lead her through the ship's many corridors, hoping that she was right in letting him do this without any question from her. Somehow she knew that they needed to learn to trust her as much as she needed to learn how to trust them. Until her language skills improved sufficiently to not need her pda for those reasons she would be at their mercy.

She was just starting to put the new entry into her limited database when they turned a corner and ran into someone who seemed like he was in a hurry. He was somewhat lanky and had a shock of hair and rumpled clothes that easily pegged him as being a civilian.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

"Dr. Baltar, please," Gaeta attempted to sidestep the demand.

Angela watched the conversation with guarded curiosity. Dealing with the military was one thing, civilians were another thing all together. They were the loose cannons and it was best to be cautious around them in a crises.

Something seemed to catch the unusual civilian's attention and he swung his eyes to her. The intensity of his gaze made her feel uncomfortable. Without thinking she moved into a defensive posture.

"Hello there," he asked in his smoothest voice.

Angela decided to play dumb for the time being. Soon enough she wouldn't have that luxury. His eyes glanced down to her pda and his eyes changed subtly. Cocking his head as if to listen to something, the civilian slowly reached for her lifeline. She jerked the small computer out of range and glared at him, as if daring him.

"Now is not the time, Dr. Baltar," Gaeta shook his head, but was watching Angela closely. He could tell she had shifted her weight to something different. Taking her arm, Gaeta pulled her to his other side so she wouldn't have to deal with the half-mad scientist.

"She's not a member of the fleet." Baltar crossed his arms. "You know she could be a Cylon, one can never be too sure."

"This is something I cannot answer. You're going to have to talk to either President Roslin or Admiral Adama." Not wanting to answer any more questions, Gaeta managed to get them past the Vice President and into the corridor where Life Station was located.

'Strange man,' Angela mumbled while shaking her head.

"What?" Gaeta glanced at her.

"Sorry, not. . .know. . .words," she closed her eyes in more of frustration than anger. When she opened them up she finally noticed the walls in the corridor. They were covered in pictures and notes. _My God,_ she thought to herself as she slowly took in the enormity of these peoples loss. When Terra lost the Titan Colony it was bad enough, this had to be ten times worse for them. Indicating the walls, she shook her head. "Sorry," she said softly.

He nodded then indicated the door at the end of the hall. Opening it up, she found herself in their sickbay. What shocked her was that it reminded her was the chaos of a hospital on the front lines of a war. An older individual with a lab coat came up to them when he noticed their entrance. "Is that her?"

"Yes, sir," Gaeta answered as he backed away.

Shrugging her shoulders, Angela followed the obvious doctor deeper into the chaos. Glancing around, she could see the unmistakable signs of a medical system strained beyond its capacity. The exam went fairly quickly and she very soon was walking out and back into the main area. What surprised her was the fact that Gaeta was still there.

"She's clean."

Gaeta nodded while opening the door. Once outside he brought her quickly through the corridors, apparently not wanting to meet up with Baltar, to the secondary guest quarters. Opening up the door they found that the shuttle had already come and gone leaving her personal items in her quarters.

"I have to get back to CIC," Gaeta commented, hoping he was understandable.

Angela nodded somewhat distracted while opening up her large duffle bag never hearing the door close behind Gaeta. Pulling out a soft case, she smiled relieved that they had packed up her computer and sent it over. In a smaller case was a re-charger that used oxygen to power its batteries, that way she wouldn't have to figure out how to keep her electronic equipment batteries charged up. At the bottom of the bag and folded just as neatly were two day and one dress uniform. Those she immediately unfolded and hung them up in the closet provided. What was left was her pajamas and toiletries, or so she thought. In a case off to the side she found quite a few e-books along with movies. _Bless you, Commander_, she thought with a smile on her face.

With everything now unpacked, she set up the charging device and placed the pda next to it. Only when the battery was completely discharged would she recharge it. First though, she needed to make her preliminary report. Turning the communications on, she checked to see if the transmitter was working.

_'Hearing you loud and clear, Lieutenant. Isn't it a little soon to be making a report?'_

'Maybe, Sir,' she answered into the built in microphone. 'Then again, there was something that bothered me.'

_'And that would be?'_

'Captain, I was just in their sickbay. . .There in desperate need of medicines over here. Do you remember that popular television show from the late 20th century about a mobile hospital in a war zone?'

_'Wasn't it a comedy, or something?'_

'Yes, that's the one.' She paused before continuing. 'It's about like that over here. They're in desperate need of both space and medicines. I would think it would be good PR for us if we got the _Mercy_ out here.'

_'I'll relay that info. Anything else?'_

'Only to thank the person that packed my gear. I really appreciate the books and movies that were sent.'

_'Happy people are. . .'_

'Productive people, yes I do know that.'

oOoOo

Gaeta stepped back into CIC to finally finish his shift. Looking up to the DRADIS he could see the unknown vessel still sitting quietly off to the side, as if they were supposed to be there. Taking another glance, he noticed that the President wasn't there, probably went back to the rooms she was using. _Wasn't she in the Admiral's quarters_, he thought to himself. Though it couldn't be, because it was somewhat obvious that he was still in his quarters.

Pushing the odd thoughts to the back of his mind, he decided on telling the Old Man what had happened prior to his arrival in Life Station.

"I already know. He came here and made his objections very vocally."

Gaeta winced. "Sorry, Sir. It's just that I could tell the Vice President made Lt. Glennan very uncomfortable."

"Why am I not surprised at that," Adama shook his head ruefully, thus terminating the conversation for now.

A short time later Adama left CIC to make his late shift rounds which would end with him going to his quarters instead of CIC. Once gone, Gaeta let his eyes drift to Captain Kelly. The other officer shrugged his shoulders as if to say that it was none of his business.

With the change of shift, Gaeta followed some of the other officers out of CIC and into the corridors. The group quickly dispersed in different directions. Stepping into his cramped quarters he spied the thick volume on tactics. He hadn't had the time to study it, let alone just open the book. It was the sight of that that made him remember his strategy lessons with the Admiral. _I'll let him know that I haven't had any time to myself_, he thought as he left his quarters and moved in the general direction of Adama's. Once he reached the corridor he could tell the President was staying there, what he wasn't sure was where the admiral was at.

Shaking off the thoughts Gaeta came up to the door and knocked, letting the occupant or occupants know of his arrival.

Just as the door was being opened, Gaeta realized he could have asked one of the marines if Adama was there, but it was the President that opened the door. "Madam President?"

"Yes Lieutenant?" she asked as she backed up, letting the young officer into the room.

Looking around, he found a pile of folders on the Admiral's coffee table. He then opened his mouth but stopped when he saw Adama in his office cubbyhole. "Sir," he hesitated. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for the next one."

Adama looked up from the report he was reading and removed his glasses. "No one is, Lieutenant." Looking over to his table, Bill checked to see if Laura had finished moving everything.

"I'll be quiet," Laura smiled as she settled on the couch while reaching for the top folder.

Bill ignored her comments as he turned around and pulled out the ancient game of strategy. While he was setting it up on the table Laura asked, "Have you heard anything about _Colonial One_'s condition?"

Gaeta looked to Adama for a moment before answering, "The ship has to be completely rewired. It will take some time before it's completed. Sorry." He shook his head.

Laura nodded thoughtfully. "What about the passengers?"

"Responding very well to their treatments. Mr. Keikeya should be released in short order, along with the other civilians." Gaeta let the sides of his mouth tug upwards slightly when he saw President Roslin's visible relief.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she answered with a smile.

Nodding Gaeta turned his attention back to the game he knew he would loose in a matter of minutes.

oOo

"How is the release coming along?" Bill asked after the door closed behind his tactical officer.

"Slowly, but I think I'm close." She looked down at the folder in her lap. She was now sitting in one of the chairs in his office. "You know I'm not sure what the name of that ship is out there."

Bill shook his head then answered, "The liaison would know."

"True. I guess we'll find out soon enough. How about this: _A ship of the Terran Republic Forces has helped us in the last few days. Not much is known of them except the fact that they are human we can understand them. We will pass on more information as we find it._"

Bill nodded in agreement. "Good."

"It's nice to know I have your full support in this," she commented dryly.

"Always," he answered as he came over to her chair and pinned her in it.

"So," she started, eyes dancing in amusement, "is this some sort of coup?"

"If you want," he answered as he let his fingers caress her neck lightly.

Removing her glasses, she set them to the side along with the folder and pen. When she stood up Bill grasped her wrists and pulled them behind her back. "Now I've got you where I want."

"And where is that?" she answered barely above a whisper.

"All tied up." He grinned as he reached for her neck.

"Bill," she moaned softly, "Not that I don't want you to stop," she managed to pull away from him slightly. "But the Quorum really needs to know about this." He pulled her close again ignoring her comments.

"Later. . ." he spoke in a broken whisper as his hands began wandering.

"Later. . ." she agreed as she ran her hands through his hair.

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 10  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach: " "  
English speach: ' '

**_Chapter Ten_**

Lieutenant Karl Agathorn, call sign Helo, looked across the maintenance deck at the odd looking shuttle. Two noncoms had removed what looked like a duffle bag along with several soft cases. He had heard somewhere that the bags contained the personal items of the Terran liaison. _I still can't believe I'm doing this_, he thought to himself. A liaison. Who would have thought. Eight months ago, who would have thought any of this would happen. Eight months ago, he was on his way to Picon Fleet Headquarters to get his next assignment. It seemed a lifetime ago now with all that's happened. When there was a pause in the activity around the strange shuttle, Helo finally took a step towards it. Unlike the raptors, the oddly shaped ship had a real ramp.

"Good luck, Sir."

Helo turned around to address the voice, it was Galen Tyrol, "Thanks Chief." He leaned closer while lowering his voice, "Make sure she's okay."

Tyrol closed his eyes then finally nodded.

Turning, Helo quickly walked up the ramp. It was hard leaving the _Galactica_ when Sharon was on board and due in about a month. He felt like he was never going to see her again. Shaking off the foreboding sensations he stepped into the shuttle.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. He had been on many other Colonial military vessels along with _Galactica_, and he had been on several of the civilian ships. The technology in front of him seemed highly advanced, but also primitive at the same time. There were two pilots up front and were talking quietly in a very odd sounding language, it seemed guttural, but not at the same time.

When he sat down the two turned to look at him. _They don't understand me_, he thought in surprise after trying to ask them what to do to get strapped in. This was completely unexpected, and a total shock. The pilot finally shook his head and got up. Coming over to him, he expertly strapped in the ECO in. When finished he sat back down in the pilots chair and activated the door hatch to seal them in.

"Thanks," Helo said, knowing full well they had no idea what he said. Soon enough he felt the ship shudder slightly and when he looked out the front he could see them leaving the relative safety the ancient battlestar provided and out into the inky blackness of space. The ship they were heading towards, was an odd one. The _Galactica_ was at most a third larger, but the unknown ship seemed to exude power and deadly force.

The rest of the trip seemed to be a blur. The shuttle quickly ducked below the vessel and into an opening maw. Helo stayed in his seat watching what the pilot was doing as the ship connected with what looked like an extended door. The docking went smoothly. Once the pilot released his restraints, he knew it was all right for him to do so. Looking at the metal clasps, he tried to remember how it was latched. Soon enough he was able to get it released, and he got to his feet. Using hand signals, he figured out that they wanted him to follow though the outer hatch. Once out he turned around and noticed his duffel bag had already been removed and was being taken in a different direction. Stopping a woman before him he pointed at it, not knowing what was going on. The apparent deck hand smiled at him and gestured for him to follow.

Hoping he was doing the right thing, Helo finally decided to follow her. The trip took him through different areas of the ship, but he had no time to really examine what he was seeing. When they finally stopped, the ECO found himself in front of a nondescript door. The deck hand said something into the small speaker and a woman's voice answered. Soon enough the door was opened and his guide left.

"Are you going to stand out there?"

Helo's head whipped around and looked into the room, small office actually. He answered as he took a step inside, "I thought no one could understand me." The woman before him was seated at a desk with a monitor off to the side.

"Very few do." She stood up slowly and reached out a hand. "I'm Commander O'Neill. Welcome aboard the _Ddoraig_ _Goch_."

"Thank you, Commander." Karl approached the desk and took her proffered hand then sat down.

O'Neill settled down in her chair but a flash of pain faintly flickered across her face before disappearing. Reaching over she entered a few commands into the computer. "Lieutenant Agathorn, your Admiral never did mention who he was sending over at first. I had to ask to find out."

Helo furrowed his brow for a second, not sure what she was referring too. "I didn't know until I was in Admiral Adama's office."

O'Neill turned her full attention back on the Colonial lieutenant. "Lieutenant, because of where we're at and safety issues I'm allowed a little more leniency than a normal commander is given." Pulling her hand from behind the computer she opened a drawer and took out a small electronic piece of equipment. She placed it on the desk between them. "Right now, we do not know what characters you use for writing. I'm hoping you can help fix that problem."

Helo nodded.

"This will help you during your stay here. Like I mentioned, as soon as the characters are converted over to the ones you use, we can reprogram this pda so that this language we're using will be the default."

"What will be on it?" Helo leaned towards the desk.

"Basic phrases that you can use to be understood. Phrases that only require a yes or no answer." Reaching down again, she pulled a pad of paper and a pen out and placed it on the desk. "Here you can put your alphabet down so we can start with the programming." She noticed his confusion. "Even though we can understand each other I use a completely different written language compared to yours."

Helo nodded slowly as he reached for the pen and paper. He paused a moment then began writing down the characters. When finished he pushed the paper towards Mair and turned the sheet around so she could see what he had written.

'Apparently not,' she muttered as she looked at the sheet. "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"The alphabet?" Helo leaned back slightly.

"Yes." Mair closed her eyes, trying to come to grips with what she saw. It was one thing to understand him, and another to see it written down before her. "I want you to see something," she finally commented as she turned around the monitor. "Now I'm not stating that we're related or not, but I want you to keep this in mind."

"You're kidding, right?" he asked as he turned his attention back to O'Neill.

"I'm not. But like I mentioned before, I'm not entirely sure if we're related or not, or if it was a fluke that our two cultures picked the same characters for writing." A tone sounded from the door interrupted her. Reaching over, she turned the monitor back around and touched the screen. 'Yes?'

'This is Captain O'Bryan. You were wanting to see me?'

Mair glanced to the Colonial lieutenant before looking to the door. 'Yes, O'Bryan. You may enter.' Turning her attention back to Helo she continued, "It will be much easier to do the conversion because of the similarities of our alphabets." Out of the corner of her eyes Mair noticed Jack come into the room and stand by the door. "In fact, it shouldn't take but about 5 minutes, that is if your spelling is the same as it is for ours."

Helo shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure."

Mair pushed the paper back over to him along with the pen, "Then I want you to write down the phrases I'm going to give you. That way the computer will be able to extrapolate how you write this language." She turned her attention back to Jack, 'I'll be with you in a moment.'

"It will also be good for you to learn the dominant language spoken on board, though my crew does have varying degrees of communication abilities in this language." The next part with the phrases went fairly quickly and when finished Mair looked over the phrases and sentences. "Fairly close to what we use, though much simplified." Bringing it over to the monitor she quickly imputed the phrases into the system and let the computer finish the extrapolation. When it was finished the screen flashed two times. Plugging in the pda, she watched as it uploaded the information then rebooted. When it came back up the default language was the Colonial tongue.

"Lieutenant, because of the same alphabet, you can use this to learn our language. Don't worry, you'll have me and one of my officers to help you." She looked back up again and nodded in the direction of the other chair in her office. 'They use the same alphabet.'

Jack's eyebrows rose as he sat down. 'Interesting. Though I believe Glennan will have a much harder time.'

'She'll adapt.' Mair switched languages, "Lieutenant, this is Captain O'Bryan. Even though he has rudimentary skills in this language he should be able to help you."

'Captain, I want you to help Lieutenant Agathorn in learning English. If it makes you learn his, all the better.' She let a smile cross her face.

'Is he their liaison?' Jack glanced at the man beside him.

'Yes.'

"Lieutenant, I will be contacting your Admiral to let him know that there is a hospital ship on it's way. Lieutenant Glennan was worried at the state of your sickbay."

Surprise then relief crossed Helo's face. This was completely unexpected, and much needed. For a moment he wondered how Sharon was fairing. If the hospital ship got here in time, they might be able to make sure she would stay healthy until their child was born. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to us."

Mair hardened her expression. "Remember this, just because we're doing this doesn't mean that we will trust you automatically. Terra is going through a very difficult time and she has enemies all around. Trust is something your people are going to have to earn."

"Yes, Ma'am." Helo nodded.

oOoOo

Bill drowsed contentedly with his eyes closed. Laura's dark burgundy hair was splayed across his chest hiding his long scar. Bringing his hand up he ran his fingers through the thick locks admiring the silky feel it created. After a moment he craned his neck to check the time. "Laura, come on."

"Five more minutes," she mumbled.

Bill shook his head with a wry smile. "I know, but we need to get that press release out. Plus, our clothing is in a pile on the deck." Laura raised her head and looked to his office area. "I guess you're right," she mumbled while nestling against him again.

Sitting up, Bill rubbed his face and let his fingers run through his hair then swung his feet to the floor. Reaching down he grasped their underclothes and handed them to Laura.

"I guess this means I need to get up," she mumbled as she sat up then started slipping her clothing on. "And contact the Quorum. Thank you," she said as Bill handed her clothing to her. He already had his trousers on and was in the process of pulling on his tanks. When she stood up and had nothing but her shirt on Bill came over and cupped her face and gave her a firm kiss. She smiled as she brought her hands up and around his neck.

Releasing her, Bill went over to his office looking for the release while letting her finish getting dressed. Soon enough she was coming out of the head not looking at all like she had just had a tryst with her fleet admiral. Stepping behind him she reached over and snatched the paper out of his hand. "Thank you," she smile as she turned around and moved over to his comm.

Bill shook his head while muttering, "What have I gotten myself into."

"A torrid affair, Admiral," she answered while picking up the handset. "Duella, I need to have the Quorum meet me over here in _Galactica_'s Ward Room. . .Thank you." Laura placed the set back in its place and walked over to Adama. "Care to join me?" she gave a slightly seductive smile.

He raised his hands as if to cross them but she grasped them after placing the paper down. "If you let me release the statement, then I might," he answered while pulling her close again.

Smiling again, Laura backed away. "Then have at it." She indicated the phone and the release.

Shaking his head he turned and reached for the comm unit. "Dee, I need you to release this to the press." He quickly rattled the message off then put the set back up. "It's done. No telling what's going to happen."

"Probably Hades being let loose?" Laura put on her glasses then walked over to her pile of folders and notebook. "You know, we still don't know much about these Terrans."

"I'm hoping Helo can help us there. He should be settled in by now."

"He'll have an easier time than the Terran's liaison. I almost feel sorry for her." Laura shook her head as she went over and slipped on her shoes. "I'm going to have so much fun," she muttered as she opened his door and walked out into the hall. She had set up her folders in the Ward Room when the members of the Quorum stepped inside.

"Any reason why you didn't tell us about this?" Tom Zarek crossed his arms.

"Because it's a military issue, Tom," Laura answered while standing up. "I have copies of the press release for each of you. When we know more I will have a full press conference." She handed each of them a single piece of paper.

"What about us?"

"I'll talk to you before the conference. But at this time, there's not much information that we have on them."

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 11  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach: " "  
English speach: ' '

**_Chapter Eleven_**

Laura watched as the Quorum members exited from the room. Even though the meeting had been rather short, it was still exhausting. The elected officials had been angry at not being told of the current events. When she was finally able to explain it to them, they were more readily accepting of their situation. Looking down, she flipped through the top folder once again, it had the state of the ships whose FTL drives were still down. The techs had managed to fix two of them, but the rest were now slow going. Then there was _Colonial One_. That one was going to take several weeks at the minimum before they'll even consider it flight worthy again.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?" Laura looked up at the one addressing her. It was one of her guards.

"Will you be heading back?"

After a moment or two she finally nodded as she stood up. _It would be good for Lieutenant Glennan to meet with the Quorum even with the language problems_, she thought as she gathered the folders. Reaching across the table she straightened the free sheets then placed them in an empty folder, the one they came from initially.

"Yes, I am. Thank you." Picking them up she nodded towards the door. When she stepped through the door into Bill's quarters she found him going through her folders.

He looked up. "Good. I can't seem to find my list of the ships whose FTL drives are still down."

Laura turned around to make sure the door was closed before speaking, "I think I have it." Walking towards him she checked through the folders with her until she reached the one in question then handed it to him. "Sorry."

Their fingers brushed for a moment and lingered for a few moments before separating. "And the Quorum?" Bill backed up while pulling out the report.

"No more than usual. Although Tom Zarek seemed a bit more vocal than normal." Laura went over to the coffee table and placed the folders on top of the ever growing pile. "Apparently they weren't happy about being left out."

"Why am I not surprised," Bill muttered.

"When she's ready, I want Lieutenant Glennan to meet the Quorum on _Cloud Nine_."

"Any reason why?"

"It will show that we both have been telling the truth about the new ship."

oOoOo

_Gaius, you can learn everything there is to know about our visitors._

"Visitors?" Baltar stopped and looked around suddenly aware of everything around him. "Oh, yes the visitors." He began moving once more down the corridor in the general direction where his lab was at.

_All you need is what she's holding in her hand._

"I'm not going to talk to you - -" he stopped short when Six's hand grabbed his tie and whipped him around and against the wall. " - - out here," he finished.

_God commands you to be obedient,_ she leaned in close. She seemed so real he could almost smell her.

"I can't just come up to her and ask her for it!"

_When has that stopped you?_ she returned smugly.

"She's not alone, you do know that," he feebly attempted to backtrack.

_Ask for it; if not just take it. You can even have your fun with her._ Six released him suddenly and backed up giving him room to collect himself. For a moment he hesitated then a slow smile crossed his face. _Should be interesting_, he thought to himself. Now all he had to do was to find her.

He had no idea where to begin to look, but he did know she had been with Lieutenant Gaeta earlier. Starting with that, Baltar headed towards the area he knew the lower ranked officers normally congregated. It was similar to the place where the pilots gathered, but different at the same time. The area was one of the few places where they could actually relax, and more often than not, get drunk at the same time.

Stepping inside the room Baltar let a smile flit across his face, he was lucky. He felt as if he had been handed the best triad hand you could get. She was sitting at one of the tables eating dinner with her ever present viewer type of contraption she kept with her. Beside her was an open book. What surprised him was that she was alone. His face fell when Gaeta came over and sat down beside her.

_If I handle it right, I'll be able to get it away from her_, he thought suddenly. Glancing back he saw a smiling Six. Turning back around, Baltar slowly walked across the sparsely crowded room. Just as he passed by the table, he reached out and grabbed the viewer. When he was a few steps away he did a double take when he glanced down at the screen. _A computer! It's a computer!_ he thought in awe. Baltar didn't have much more time to think about for he was suddenly flipped around. For a moment he thought it was Six until he saw the petite woman standing before him, obviously fuming. She held out her hand as if to tell him to return to her the piece of equipment. When he didn't comply she did some strange movement and the next thing Baltar knew he was on his back with her foot holding him down. Reaching down, she snatched the computer out of his fingers that were temporarily numbed with shock and went back over to the table she had just vacated.

Looking around, Baltar found the room silent and still. They were all looking at him and how a much smaller woman had been able to throw him to the floor without any apparent effort on her part. _She has to be a Cylon_, he thought miserably. _How else could she have achieved what she just did_. Getting to his feet, the vice president made a hasty exit. _There has to be another way for me to get that computer. Computer! It's a frackkin' computer!_

'No one touches my stuff,' Angela grumbled as she pushed the pda in front of her. Looking up, she noticed how everyone was still watching her. They weren't exactly wary, it seemed more like shock and then humor rather than anger. Turning her attention to her companion, she gave him a small smile. He nodded then went back to the book he was reading. Curiosity getting the better of her, Angela finally leaned over to see what their language looks like. She blinked hard at first, not sure of what she was seeing. "Felix?"

Getting his attention, she brought the pda back towards her, and pulled up one of her entries to point at it. He seemed to be just as taken back as she was. Angela knew their cultures were related, but she felt it would not be good to show that relationship just yet. The character issue, though, was something she would have to discuss with her CO during her next report. _The language shouldn't be that much more difficult to learn,_ she thought to herself. Angela saved then closed the file before logging off. At the current time her pda was working off battery power. She only wanted to use the backup battery when she wasn't near her charger, even though the specialized batteries lasted at least 7 hours.

The room went silent again when she heard what she assumed was the bosun's whistle. Everyone started scattering when words were repeated over the intercom. _This has to be General Quarters_, she thought as she grabbed her pda and followed Felix out of the room and into the controlled chaos of a ship going to battle stations. Just as he reached the door he skidded to a stop and went back to the table. Retrieving the book he had left he said, "C'mon," as he passed her on his way back into the corridors. Angela had no idea where he was going, but had no choice but to follow him. He made a quick stop and went through a side door and came back out without the book he had earlier then took off again down the hall. A few quick turns and she was completely turned lost, but still had Gaeta in front of her. With one final turn she found herself back in the nerve center of the mammoth ship. Everything seemed controlled, but tense at the same time. From her previous experience in the room she knew the screens coming down from the ceiling were their version of radar.

Angela's home ship was still off to the side, but there was nothing else there to be worried about. The whole thing confused her, not that she was already confused.

"Admiral on deck!" Angela turned around and found it was their communications person that had spoken so loudly.

"As you were."

Looking up, she could see Adama coming around and down into the center. "What do we have?"

"Sir, there is a definite blank area here, and it's moving towards us." Tigh pointed to a spot on the center table board.

"Blank area?"

"Most definitely. It's absorbing our DRADIS signals."

Adama considered the possible implications. The longer they waited, the worse off they could be in the end. "Bring the weapons online. Are the vipers ready?"

"Coming online as we speak, sir. And we've got a message from the _Pegasus._"

Adama went quickly over to Dee and retrieved a hand set. "Galactica Actual."

_"Sir, we have nothing on our DRADIS."_

"Commander, there is something coming towards us. Your DRADIS would only filter out the dead spots."

The line was silent for a minute, _"Launching vipers."_

"Sir, _Pegasus_, is reporting their vipers are launched," Dee reported.

Adama nodded. "Launch vipers."

Looking up to the DRADIS, everyone could see the screens now flooded with ships. "Get me Starbuck." Adama brought the headset back up.

"You're on," Dee answered.

"Starbuck, this is Galactica Actual. What do you see out there?"

_"Nothing much, Sir. Wait. . .We've got a ship out here. Never seen anything like it before."_

"Hold off on engaging them until we know for sure who and what they are," Adama ordered.

_"Yes, Sir."_

Turning to Gaeta, he asked, "Do you think she might be able to tell us what's going on?"

Looking to Glennan, Gaeta finally shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure."

Even with her very limited abilities to communicate with the Colonials Angela had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but she wasn't completely sure. She could also tell they were talking about her. What did shock her was just how primitive the Colonials actually were. _It's just like one of those old World War II movies_, she thought to herself. How they had gotten this far in space was a surprise in itself. _Maybe they don't know any better,_ she finished.

"Admiral, Commander O'Neill is sending us a message."

Adama nodded while answering, "Commander, would you mind telling me what is going on?"

_"I want you to stand down. That is the first of our ships to arrive. I am not sure just how your sensors work, but if there wasn't anything before there should be in a minute or two."_

Everyone in the CIC stopped and looked at Adama. If her words were true, then they would have an easier time protecting the civilian fleet. When the blip showed up there was a collective sigh of relief.

"Commander, why didn't we see it?" Adama asked.

_"Because that ship was built with stealth capabilities for gathering intelligence information and not be that easily seen by standard sensors."_

"Stealth frigate?" Tigh asked, clearly surprised.

"Apparently so." Seeing that everything was exactly as Commander O'Neill had stated Adama decided to bring them down. "Set Condition Two and recover vipers."

Gaeta nodded while reaching for a handset. "Attention, set Condition Two. Repeat, set Condition Two." He placed the set back in its cradle and looked back over the room before stopping on Angela. She seemed to be engrossed in the layout of the CIC.

"Sir," Dee started. "I'm receiving transmissions from the civilian ships wanting to know what just happened. They seem very jittery."

Adama nodded while sighing. "I'll let the President know. She'll know the best way to handle it." He gave her back the headset then left the CIC.

Gaeta followed Adama with his eyes wondering if there was something going on. Tigh caught his gaze and the younger officer shrugged his shoulders. Now moving past Angela she asked, "Guest quarters?"

Gaeta nodded. Truth be told, he wasn't supposed to be in the CIC at this time. This was eating into his twelve hours off shift. He indicated the exit with his head then headed out. Looking back he noted that Angela was behind him. When she caught up with him he left. With only a few turns they were now in front of her temporary quarters. 'Thank you,' she said while opening the door.

Not knowing what she said, he only nodded in agreement then left to go on to his own cabin.

Setting the pda down, she hooked it into the power source then turned on the transmitter.

_'Any reason why you're contacting us at this time.'_

'Yes, because of what just happened. They were terrified over here. What happened?'

_'The second shift ood was a little slow on the uptake. It was our fault over here. So. . .is there anything else that we might find interesting.'_

'Yes, as a matter of fact there is. I have no idea how they got to space, they're painfully primitive over here.'

_'That bad?'_

'Not really, but it looks like they use manual control over the operations of the ship. Now with their other capital ship I'm not sure. It could be better, then again it could be much worse.'

oOoOo

"Admiral, I already have nervous people out there. What were you trying to do, frighten them even more?" Roslin asked angrily as Bill stepped through the door.

He closed the door behind him, "No, I was trying to make sure that they would stay alive. It was an unknown ship and the only way we could see it was because it was absorbing our DRADIS signals."

"What are you talking about?" Laura asked now confused.

"It is a stealth frigate." He came over to her and rubbed his hand up and down one arm.

"You mean to tell me that they have an actual ship that has the abilities that the Blackbird had?" Laura backed up slightly.

"Yes. The _Pegasus_ didn't even pick it up even with their more advanced sensors."

Laura shook her head. "Do you have any idea how much I'm going to enjoy this press conference? It seems that anything either of us do just adds to what I need to tell the press."

"Not everything," he answered while cupping her cheek gently.

She gave him an admonishing look while grasping his arm. "Not all of the press is going to be there, thank the gods."

"Any reason why?" Bill asked, now curious.

"Most were on _Colonial One_. I do know the 'Colonial Gang' will make it, along with Biars. They were both on _Cloud Nine_ during the initial attack. Other than that, I'm not sure."

TBC...


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 12  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach: " "  
English speach: ' '

Note: Initially I gave Mair O'Neill the incorrect ranking. As of this posting it will be corrected.

**_Chapter Twelve_**

Mair looked across the command center waiting for Captain Mark Donelson's shuttle to dock within her ship. What she witnessed earlier bothered her greatly. She had no idea how Adama was able to detect the frigate.

'Ma'am, Captain Donelson's shuttle has successfully docked.'

Mair turned her gaze towards Ensign Harris. 'Thank you. Have two marines meet Captain O'Bryan outside the shuttle, unarmed, and escort him to my office.' She turned and walked out of the room while still pondering the previous issue. It was one that would not be answered any time soon. Donelson maybe good, but he was wordy at times. It was also a blessing that the first one to show up didn't dislike her with a passion.

'Yes, Sir,' she heard the answer behind her. Turning a corner, she stepped into her office. The one good thing about the size of her ship was that it would give her a few minutes to prepare herself. Donelson will want his own questions answered. Sitting down she reached over and wrote out her questions to the issues set before her.

'Change of protocol?' Mark's voice came from the doorway.

Mair looked up and let a smile flit across her face. 'Not really. What we're facing is a first contact situation.' She stood up as he entered the room. Coming around the side of the desk she accepted his salute which she reciprocated. Relaxing she then reached out a hand.

'First contact?' Mark asked as he sat down.

'That about sums it up.' Mair walked back around and sat down. 'Although it's turning out to be much more than that. The reason why I told you to put your blip enhancer on is because they were somehow able to detect your ship without the regular means.'

Mark narrowed his eyes. 'How?'

'I'm not sure just yet, but that is one thing I will be checking into. It bothers me too.' She hesitated while scrolling down the page currently on her monitor. 'Did you count the ships out there?'

Mark nodded. 'Yes, are they going to colonize somewhere?'

'That's what it seems like. I've already talked to their admiral and civilian president. They have been very forceful in stating that what you see is all that's left of their culture. I'm not exactly sure how to take it.'

Mark looked away for a second before answering, 'Refugees?'

'It would appear so, but yesterday they were attacked by a clearly superior force.' Mair leaned back and placed her pen on the desk.

'And you couldn't help yourself,' Mark answered wryly. 'One of these days your actions will bite you in the ass.'

'Not if I do my homework.' She hesitated before leaning forward and pressing a button set into the desk. 'Listen.'

The transmission that came out was still somewhat garbled, but you could tell it was a human language. 'The scary part is that I can understand them, and talk to them. They also state that they're looking for Earth.'

Mark looked thoughtful for a moment before answering, 'Have you told them anything?'

'Hell no! I do not trust them.'

'Then how are we going to find out anything about them?' Mark crossed his arms.

A slow smile crept across her face, 'Because I already have someone over there. Her real job is to assess the situation from the inside and report as to what type of threat they will and are posing to Terra. It helps too, that she knows how to infiltrate.'

'Who?'

Mair tensed up slightly before answering, 'Lieutenant Angela Glennan.'

Mark shook his head. 'You're walking a tightrope with sending her over there. I would have her pulled, but knowing her, she's already started making alliances, or friends.'

'I know of her problem and why she's still only a lieutenant, but she was the best at the time.' _The only one at the time,_ she finished silently. 'I trust her to do what's right, barring any blowups.'

Mark finally nodded. 'I wanted to let you know they're getting the _Mercy_ ready as we speak. Brilliant stroke.'

'Don't credit me. That was Glennan's idea. I told you she's good, she just got that hot temper from her father.'

'Comes with the blood?' Mark asked innocently.

Mair rolled her eyes. 'I hate to burst your bubble, but not all of us have that hot Irish temper.'

oOoOo

Gaeta looked around the hall after dropping Angela off at her cabin. What happened in the common room was serious, and it was something he needed to report to his superior, which was Tigh. Because of who she represented, he wasn't sure if the XO was the best one. At worst, it was a major diplomatic incident that the vice president committed. Making up his mind, he decided that the Admiral needed to know about this more than the XO. But, he thought, he needed to let her know he would be unavailable for the next hour or so. Turning back around, Gaeta headed back over to her cabin to let her know.

When he reached her temporary quarters he knocked. A few moments later she opened it up. It was obvious that she had changed and was going to try to work out in her quarters. She was wearing pants that had clearly seen much better days and a sports bra.

Holding up a finger she first stopped then beckoned him to enter the room. Without picking up the pda she asked, "I go to gym?"

Gaeta smiled and repeated slowly, "I want to go to the gym." Getting an idea he pointed at her and motioned to repeat the phrase. When she started repeating what he just told her, he shook his head then pointed directly at her. It took her a moment before Angela understood what he was referring to. When she did, she smiled and repeated slowly in her language, 'I want to go to the gym.' After he repeated it she backed up and grabbed a well worn shirt and pulled it on. Her wanting to go to the gym was a perfect solution for him.

Nodding she reached for a towel which told Gaeta that she was ready. When they left he made sure that her cabin door was secured then moved off in the direction of the gym. At least one level and several minutes later he stopped in front of another door. Indicating it he said, "Gym." With a tug, he pulled the door open and took a step inside. Glancing back he made sure she had come in with him. She smiled as she dropped her towel on a bench then pulled off her shirt. Finding a clear spot, she did a few simple stretches, for apparently most were already done in her cabin, then began the slow graceful movements of tai chi.

Standing off to the side Gaeta watched her movements with more than a slight bit of interest. Glennan had the graceful movements of a night predator, and the slow movements she was doing now only accentuated it. A quiet sounding snicker off to his side alerted him to the fact that one of the marines thought her actions were amusing. He apparently hadn't heard of what she did less than an hour earlier. When she stopped she turned her attention to the marine and with her hands indicated that she wanted him to join her on the mat. _This is going to be interesting_, Gaeta thought, though he knew he had to leave soon enough.

"Wait," he pushed himself off from the wall he was leaning on. Looking around he found a scrap of paper and pencil. On the paper he wrote two things for Angela. The first one was to find him and the second to get back to her cabin barring anything. Coming over to her he handed the slip of paper to her and through mostly gestures he was able to explain what they were. Nodding, she took the paper and then pencil and wrote two more things beside his scrawl. He then showed her his watch and the clock on the wall and managed to let her know that he would return in about an hour. Turning to the marine he repeated himself. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her entice another marine onto the mat. Turning he watched as she easily knocked him to the floor and the marine's complete shock at the sudden turn of events. Getting up he tried again, but the result was the same as before.

_I wish I could be here to watch,_ he thought to himself as he backed towards the door. Just before he left she helped the marine back up and then began teaching him what she just did.

Gaeta had a slight smile on his face the entire trip to the Old Man's quarters. The marine's actions were typical, they were used to boxing and weight training. Because of Glennan's size she was at a complete disadvantage. The movements and fighting style she used seemed to favor no one in particular. Turning a corner he caught some whispers and then a lower officer stopped him to tell him about what happened to the vice president, or what they thought what happened to the eccentric man. He gave a brief nod and moved on down the hall towards the Old Man's cabin. When he reached the door he waited while one of the marines went inside to let him know he wanted to talk. When the marine returned and nodded, Gaeta stepped through the door. Adama was sitting at his desk with what was most likely some reports he received earlier. Standing at attention he saluted and waited for Adama to acknowledge him.

"What is it Lieutenant?" Adama asked after returning the salute.

Relaxing slightly Gaeta walked over to the office area and indicated one of the chairs. Getting a nod he sat down still at attention and started, "Sir, there was an incidence of petty theft in the common area attached to the junior officers quarters just before the Terran warship arrived." He hesitated before continuing, "Vice President Baltar attempted to steal Lieutenant Glennan's property. It is the piece of equipment she's been using to help her with learning our language. Lieutenant Glennan attempted to recover it from Vice President Baltar using visual communication, but the Vice President refused. She then removed it from Vice President Baltar's possession after forcing him to the deck. Lieutenant Glennan at first attempted to restrain Vice President Baltar from removing himself from the situation which compelled her action of forcing him to the deck, and taking her property back."

Adama sat back while he trained his eyes on his tactical officer. "Lieutenant, were there any witnesses?"

"Yes, sir. There were five witnesses."

"Are you one of them?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where is Lieutenant Glennan at this time?"

"At the gym, sir, with the marines. Lieutenant Glennan knows I will return in about an hour. If she's not there she has a piece of paper that will help her navigate the corridors of the _Galactica_ back to her quarters. Either that, or to find me, Sir."

Adama nodded thoughtfully while pulling out a sheet of paper, "You're dismissed, Lieutenant."

Gaeta stood up and saluted again. As he was turning around Adama spoke again, "I will want to have both you and Lieutenant Glennan back here after the press conference the President will call within the hour, and I want the names of the other four witnesses."

"Yes, Sir." Gaeta nodded then left the admiral's quarters.

Once again in the hall he shook his head while he physically relaxed. The Vice President's actions demanded to be reported. After a moment or two, he began moving back down the corridor this time to his department. He needed to check up on his people and make sure everything was running smoothly before retrieving Angela from the gym.

oOo

"So, Baltar's committed petty theft?" Laura asked as she walked out of the head.

Adama looked up, "Yes, and petty theft is and will not be tolerated onboard the _Galactica_." Reaching over, he picked up the handset and spoke into it, "Have Sgt. Hadrian report to my quarters." He lowered the receiver and placed it back in its cradle, "I don't trust him to come with a just a simple request."

"I don't either," Laura answered as she moved back over to the couch. "I guess I'm going to have to find a place to put all this stuff."

"I think the rooms you usually use are available."

"Really? You know, I might do that." Laura looked to the ever growing pile and then to Bill's desk. His was relatively clean. "I might end up getting more work done, too. Not that I'm complaining."

Bill shook his head, "I know you're not. Don't worry about it."

A short time later the marine sergeant stood in the middle of Adama's quarters. "You were wanting me, Sir?" she asked.

"Yes, Sergeant. I need you to escort Vice President Baltar here." His eyes told her that her questions were not going to be answered by the odd request.

"Yes, Sir," she answered crisply. Turning on her heels she exited the room and indicated for one of the marines to follow her.

"He's not going to be happy about this," Laura commented with a smile in her voice.

"Doesn't matter." Bill rose from his office chair and moved over to the couch. "I'll help you move your work over to the other cabin."

"Good," she answered with a smile while handing him at least two-thirds of the stack while taking the rest.

Bill shook his head as he followed her out and into the rooms she had now designated as her working office. Once everything was arranged they both headed back to Bill's quarters, but not before he gave her a quick kiss.

Once back it was not long before they could hear Baltar's protests. When the Vice President entered he strode over to Adama and demanded, rather loudly, "What is the meaning of this? The Vice President should not be 'manhandled' like what just happened. I want to lodge a formal complaint!"

"You are here because of your actions less than an hour ago."

Baltar's mouth dropped open then shut. "That too, I want to lodge another complaint. I was pushed to the floor without due cause." For a moment a smug look crossed his face then disappeared.

"I have five witnesses state that you, by petty theft, attempted to take something that was not yours." Moving very close, Adama lowered his voice, "And I do not tolerate theft of any kind on the _Galactica._ It doesn't matter that you're the Vice President. Until I see otherwise, you will be on probation for your actions."

"B-but nothing h-happened."

"That means nothing," Laura spoke up from her spot on the couch. Getting up she moved towards the two men. "This took place on a military vessel. If anything happens like this again I will not have the jurisdiction to transfer it to the civilian authorities."

Baltar stood there stunned. He expected the President to stand up for him in front of Admiral Adama, and with her words she just handed him over. "When I'm president this will not happen." Turning around he stomped out of the room while muttering to himself.

"Do you think he'll realize what he's done?" Laura asked as she went back over to the couch.

"Honestly I don't know. If it happens again the lowest form of punishment I can get him, being a civilian, is to have him be removed from the _Galactica_."

Picking up the last remaining folder, Laura thumbed through the sheets. The information it held was too small for her liking. Even with the liaison there was not a lot of information they had on the ship and the one that showed up. "Have the press been notified yet?" Looking up she saw Bill shake his head.

"I would think that they have a pretty good idea that a press conference will happen sooner rather than later," Laura commented as she moved over to the comm unit. Picking it up she spoke a minute later, "Duella, I need you to let the press know that there will be a press conference in the Ward Room in about thirty minutes." Placing it down she commented, "It's done. Should be interesting."

oOo

Baltar walked down the hall fuming at what just happened. He was a civilian, and nothing happened. She should have been the one to be reprimanded for her actions. Turning a corner he stopped suddenly. Gaeta and _that woman_ were in front of him. She also didn't have that computer with her.

_She doesn't have her computer with her,_ Six's voice whispered in his ear.

"Shush, let me watch," he answered in a whisper. When they turned another corner, he noticed the general direction they were headed. It looked like the guest quarters. "I would think that she leaves that computer in her room when wearing those clothes," he muttered.

TBC...


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 13  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: EllyMelly  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

Starbuck climbed out of her viper and looked across the hanger deck. The hands were scurrying around, making sure everything was working at an optimum level. The fighter to her left had the markings of cylons shot down during the fight. It still baffled her to do something like that. She knew she was good-because of that she didn't have to broadcast it to the rest of the fleet. Kara let her flight action speak for itself. Now out of the cockpit was a different story.

Stripping off her gloves she thought once again of the dark ship that seemed to appear suddenly on DRADIS. _It's a frakkin' stealth ship!_ she suddenly realized. It took most of the trip to the ready room for her to recover from her shock. Once inside though, she found Lee working on the pilot rotation.

"That _ship_ out there's a frakkin' stealth ship, Lee. I completely missed it."

Lee stopped what he was doing long enough to cast a glance in Kara's direction, "Dad didn't. He was the one that called for Condition One."

"How?"

"You can ask him yourself. You've been transferred back to the _Galactica_. Pack your gear, Starbuck."

"I never thought I'd be happy about returning to the bucket." She hesitated, "Wait, who'll be CAG over here?"

Lee never turned to look back at Kara, but smiled to himself.

"No way! You mean they're going to let you fly out there and be the XO?" Kara flopped down in one of the chairs.

"Who said the CAG needs to fly, though I do wish I could go back out there again." Lee turned around and headed back over to the rows of pilots chairs. "Dad said I'll eventually get used to it, though I don't think I will. There's just too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it all and fly at the same time."

"I know what you mean." She seemed to not want to talk anymore but did anyway, "I wish we could go back to Caprica."

"Starbuck, the radiation alone will kill you, if not now, it will later on." Lee placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think we have to accept the fact that we can't go back."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Just because I accept what you've said doesn't mean that I like it." She pushed herself to her feet. "It'll take a bit for me to gather my gear."

"You might end up playing ferry. By the time you're ready, Billy should be also."

"Really? You know Dee will be happy about that." Kara winked at Lee then turned around and left the ready room for the pilot's quarters.

Less than an hour later Kara had finished putting her duffle bags in the raptor when she turned around and saw Billy Keikeya walk across the hanger deck, not quite sure where he was going. "Your flight's over here," she called out when he got close enough.

Billy looked up then quickened his pace when he recognized her. "You're going to the _Galactica_?"

Kara nodded as she stepped to the side letting him enter the ship. "I'll be flying you over, so don't worry." _Dee wouldn't be happy with me if I did anything to him_, she thought to herself with some amusement. Sealing the door Starbuck moved back up to the pilot's seat. "How much did you hear while in Life Station?"

"Bits and pieces here and there." Billy shook his head.

"Hm. Well, let's just say we've got visitors. There are two ships out there from the Terrans."

Billy's eyes went wide, "How. . .what. . ."

Kara gave him a grin, "You can ask President Roslin. She's due to have a press conference any time now in the Ward Room. You know she will be pleased you're back."

With a slight jar, the ship was released and Starbuck flew it out from the hanger and in the direction of the _Galactica_. "If you get up here I can show you the two ships. Nothing I've ever seen before."

Nodding, Billy unhooked the restraints and moved to the front seat beside Kara. When he was settled, Kara angled the small ship slightly towards the first of the Terran ships. "That's the first ship to show up. They saved our asses out there when the Cylons attacked."

"How big do you think it is?"

"Not sure, it looks to be about a third smaller than _Galactica_ but that means nothing." Angling the ship again she aimed in the direction where the DRADIS blip was coming from. "The other is over there, though it's almost impossible to see. _Pegasus_ wasn't able to pick it up, I have no idea why the _Galactica_ did."

"I guess we'll find out later."

As Starbuck nodded the space out beyond the fleet lit up in a blaze of light. _Frack_! she cursed to herself as her eyes attempted to adjust to the light. While reaching for the communications channel she cleared her throat, "Galactica Actual, this is Raptor 120, Starbuck. What the frack just happened!"

_"Galactica Actual is not available at this time, Starbuck. You are to remain on your present course,"_ Tigh's voice came across the speakers.

"That's not right," she mumbled to herself. "What's going on here?" Starbuck finally asked with impatience. The fleet wasn't on Condition One and the alert fighters had not been sent out. The whole situation bothered her.

_"It is none of your concern, **Lieutenant**. Continue on your present course."_

"Yes, **Sir**," and she disconnected the line with a snarl. _I'm going to find out what's going on here,_ she mentally told herself. Once the raptor was secure in the _Galactica_'s hanger both Billy and Starbuck were out of the ship and heading in opposite directions. A short time later Billy slipped inside the Ward Room and moved off to the side. The President was behind the podium and attempting to answer the questions from what members of the press were able to attend. Somewhat off to the side stood Adama. Roslin glanced over in his direction and let a small smile cross her face before disappearing, letting him know she saw him. Nodding, he leaned up against the bulkhead while waiting for the conference to end.

She had reported that there was not much known about the ships that had shown up. What she did know was that two more ships were going to come, bringing the Terran contingency up to four ships. Four very deadly ships. They were at the Terrans mercy, and they knew it.

The possibility that they might have come from Earth was already discussed and taken into consideration. They could understand the first captain, but none others. Which was when the subject of the liaison had been raised. "At this time we do have a Terran officer on board."

That revelation only brought more questions from the press, though oddly enough the most vocal of them all, D'Anna Biars, seemed oddly quiet. She just stayed seated - - hand moving briskly taking notes amid the ruckus.

When the conference finally ended, Laura stepped from behind the podium and moved over to Billy. "I am so glad you're all right," she smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not something I want to repeat anytime soon," he answered quietly.

"Same here. Look - -" she hesitated as she looked around, not wanting to reveal any possible scandalous situations. Catching D'Anna out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the reporter seemed somewhat unsteady on her feet. The blonde eventually moved slowly out of the room and into the hall. Once the room was empty she continued, "The secondary guest quarters are in use. I have my work in the Primary. I want you to stay there, if you so choose."

Billy furrowed his brow for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant. He nodded when realization crossed his features, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Not yet. Only if you've been compelled."

"Yes, Ma'am." Billy nodded. "You know most on board might know about it but are keeping silent."

"Madam, President." Bill came up to the two of them. "If you need me, I will be in the CIC. Two more Terran ships just arrived."

Once he had disappeared one of the members of the Colonial Gang, came back very quickly. "Madam! Something's wrong with D'Anna!"

"What do you mean, Plya?" Laura went back to her things, but Billy waved her off letting her know he'd retrieve them.

"I'm not sure, she just ducked into another room. James went to look for her and found her collapsed on the floor."

"And you didn't call for at least a medic?" Laura asked incredulously.

"I think James said he would do that. Wait - -" she stopped when Laura turned back around to Billy.

"Billy I need a medic sent to. . ." Laura turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Same hall, three doors down to the left," Plya finally answered.

"Already on it, Ma'am," Billy answered as he reached for the phone.

oOo

Starbuck set foot inside the CIC, for a moment she felt like she was coming home. She held onto that feeling as long as she could before things got ugly.

"Starbuck," Adama's voice stopped her short from doing anything stupid.

"Sir?" she asked, then hastily saluted. "What just happened out there?"

"Two more Terran ships have arrived." Bill stepped down into the center area and the board.

"I know that. I was out there. One of those ships is the size of _Galactica_!"

"We were notified beforehand of when and where they would arrive. So far they have done exactly as their intentions stated," Tigh answered with no small amount of frustration towards Starbuck.

Kara backed away from Tigh and turned her attention back to Adama. "Sir, how come _Pegasus_ didn't pick up the first of the arrivals?"

"Because here we don't have the ability to filter out any unwanted background noise. The ship showed up as a blank spot, absorbing the signals the DRADIS was putting out."

"And the _Pegasus_ would have filtered all that out," Starbuck finished while nodding.

"Starbuck, I want you to unpack your gear, you'll be CAG over here now," Adama finished.

"Yes, Sir," she answered with a salute and walked briskly out of the room and down to the pilots ready room. They needed to know she was back.

oOoOo

Angela woke up some time before reveille. Sitting up she could just make out the furniture in her cabin from the dim runner lights in the corners. It never ceased to amaze her that the ship seemed so primitive, yet complex at the same time. Turning around she turned on the lamp and blinked at the sudden light. It felt like the dead of night, though ships never truly 'shut down'. There was a clock next to the bed, but she wasn't entirely sure it kept time the same way that analogue and digital clocks did on the Terran ships she had been assigned to over the years. If she was correct, it was in the middle of the night for them. 'Great, just what I need,' she mumbled to herself.

'I might as well,' she commented to herself as she got up from the bed. She had enjoyed yesterday's the workout very much so, especially to be able to show the marines here that brute force isn't always the best course of action in a situation. Pulling on a working set of BDU'S she sat down at the table and pulled out one of the few actual books she kept with her and a notebook. Rummaging in her bag, she found a pen and then went back to the table and opened book. The people she was with didn't seem to be that religious, but then she had only been on board for little more than a day. Hardly time to see and observe all aspects of these new people. She looked at the beaded necklace her father had packed in her things when she first went off for training. Angela knew it irked her father that she had decided to go with her mother's denomination instead of the catholic church he was raised in. It wasn't that, it's just that it was easier not having all that liturgy to deal with during the services.

Twenty or so minutes later she was finished and closed up the book and notebook then pulled out her computer and turned it on. Once booted up she pulled out one of the book chips her fellow officers had sent along. Plugging it in, she let the computer pull the book up to the screen and she read for about an hour.

When boredom finally overcame her she decided to head back to the gym before breakfast. Angela had an idea of where she needed to go, but wasn't quite sure. Once changed into her workout clothes she stepped out and pulled the door shut. Confused for a moment on which way to go Angela finally chose the hallway to her right. When she rounded the corner she found two marines guarding the sunken steps into another room. Before she took another step, two more marines showed up. Guard change, she surmised. Angela smiled slightly when she recognized one of the soldiers from yesterday at the gym. Throwing the towel over her shoulder she came up to the four men and asked, "I want go gym?"

The marine she recognized smiled and nodded. Once the turnover was completed she followed the soldier through several halls. Two corridors before they reached the gym she actually recognized where they were going. When they reached the gym she nodded to the marine and stepped inside. She was surprised to find several other soldiers utilizing the weight training equipment. Because of yesterday, they now had an area set up for her to do her warm-up Tai Chi. When she was finished she worked on a mixture of Katas and Palates. She found it was easier to exercise if she kept mixing things up.

By the time Angela was flooring a more adventurous marine she heard the door open and close. Glancing to the side she saw it was Gaeta. He was obviously dressed for working out. The distraction was long enough for the downed marine to get the upper hand with his brute force technique. With a quick move, she twisted out of his grasp and turned the tables on him. The whole door thing bothered her as she released her hold and stepped back. Normally she wouldn't be distracted by movement like that off to the side. Chalking it up to having her senses on high alert because of the strange environment, she shrugged it off.

TBC...


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 14  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: EllyMelly  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach: " "  
English speach: ' '

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

Helo looked around the room and back down to the translation protocol he was working on. In all his years with computers, he never expected to be working with them this way. The XO, _Jack_, he remembered, was also trying to help but it seemed more of a hindrance at times. That was all right, though. What he lacked in skills with the Colonial tongue, he more than made up for it in enthusiasm, or so it seemed.

When the two ships arrived he felt relief coming from the crew, though he was not quite sure where it came from or what it was directed toward. He remembered feeling the same thing when he boarded the _Galactica_ once again - - that was until Sharon appeared at the door and set free ensuing chaos as it erupted from around the room.

_Sharon,_ he thought to himself. He missed her greatly and desperately wanted to know how she was doing. Helo knew he couldn't send any type of message to the _Galactica_, especially to the brig. The crew of the ship, _Ddoraig Goch_, he reminded himself, wouldn't understand, Hades, most on the _Galactica_ still didn't understand either.

"Lieutenant Agathorn."

Helo turned around searching for the voice. A female officer he was unfamiliar with was walking towards his seat. "Captain O'Neill."

Nodding, he gathered up his things and followed her through what he thought was a twisting maze of corridors to what was now becoming a familiar door. When it opened he stepped inside. "You wished to see me? I'm still working on the translation program." He held up the pda.

"Not that, Lieutenant. There's something, though, that is very important," Mair said while waving a hand towards the seats. "When there is a first contact situation, such as what we have with your people, we have to take into consideration diseases. I want you to report to sickbay so you can get vaccinated. On Terra we've overcome some very nasty ones over the years. I suspect it is the same with your people."

"Yes." Helo nodded.

"Good." Mair nodded as flash of pain crossed her face before disappearing.

"Ma'am," Helo paused unsure of what to say, "Are you all right?"

"Don't worry about it. There's nothing you can do." Mair shook her head while internally berating herself for the slight lapse.

Nodding, but not quite understanding Helo got up and backed out of the office. He found the officer who had brought him there was still standing outside. Furrowing his brow he hesitated before remembering the term, 'Sickbay.'

Giving him a smile she turned and moved off in another direction. He followed fairly quickly, not wanting to get lost. When they reached sickbay he went through the normal battery of tests and then a multiple number of shots, all of which he took patiently. For a moment he wondered what his counterpart was dealing with on the _Galactica_. He didn't know how he would handle not being able to understand anyone else. _I hope that officer is all right_, he thought for a moment. He knew the best he could do to help him or her was to finish the programming. At the rate it was progressing it wouldn't take much longer. When he was finished he brought the updated program back to the commanding officer, O'Neill, and showed her his work.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I know Lieutenant Glennan, will be greatly appreciative of you soon enough." Mair plugged the pda into the computer and let the updated program load into the primary memory banks. When finished she had it put in the queue of messages to be sent to Angela's computer in the next file transfer.

Helo gave a wan smile while nodding before leaving the office.

oOoOo

Joe Cottle held a chart in his hand while looking over the newest Colonial to get sick. If the Holocaust had not happened he would have been retired and living the quiet life. Now he had no idea if that was ever going to happen. The latest case brought in was one of the members of the press, D'Anna Biars. Her high fever and convulsions made him think she had radiation sickness or some type of poisoning. Not surprising since a majority of the press had been on _Colonial One_ a few days ago. The first thing he had done was to run a scan to search for possible causes. At the moment he was waiting for the results to come back.

Reaching into his lab coat pocket, Cottle pulled out a pack of cigarettes and shook it slightly it to dislodge one of the thin rolled up pieces of tobacco. Setting the file down, he pulled it out and replaced the pack back in his pocket then lit the cigarette.

"Dr. Cottle," one of the techs called.

Turning around he reached for the results he had been waiting for. "Thank you," he mumbled as he stuck the end of the cigarette between his teeth and reviewed the results. "What the frack is going on with you," he mumbled at the report. "No radiation, and no poisoning. Everything in normal range." He glanced to the very sick woman, "Something's got you all messed up, and I have no idea what it could be."

oOoOo

Angela stepped out of the head with a towel wrapped around her slim frame. Reaching her rack she let the towel drop and reached for her clothing. Even though she was wearing BDU's earlier that day now she opted for one of her day uniforms. What she had seen so far didn't seem to indicate that they had any form of fatigues, whether it be desert, snow, or the traditional green. With a quick move, she let her fingers run through her short hair letting it fall naturally. Even though it was thick, it would dry fairly quickly.

Moving over to the table she opened her laptop and turned it on. A smile flitted across her face when she noticed the new downloads. Opening up the biggest file she immediately realized it was an updated translation program. 'I wish I could hug you, Captain,' she muttered to herself as she reached over and pulled her pda out of its cradle. 'This is exactly what I need.' Turning on the smaller computer, she checked to see if the connections were working properly then accessed the newly updated translation program. Pulling out the stylus, she wrote a few of the phrases in the Colonial tongue she did know and waited to see what would happen. Soon enough the English translations appeared underneath the Colonial terms. 'I can definitely work with this,' she commented.

Still smiling to herself, she wrote down something and saved the translation, it would be something she would use over and over. Before getting up she shut the laptop down and put it in an unobtrusive spot. When she opened the door she jumped back voluntarily. She was not expecting Gaeta to be standing there. For a second she stood there frozen before she forced herself to look to the pda. The sentence she had just saved was still on the screen. "I would like to go to breakfast," she smiled as she spoke the Colonial tongue. _And I bet I have an atrocious accent, too_, she thought to herself. He was about to answer her when she raised a hand to stop him. Pulling out the stylus she quickly wrote down for the translator then spoke again, "I have a new translation program." Angela held up the pda so Gaeta could look at the screen.

Nodding, he then indicated with his head in the generation direction. "Come."

"Breakfast?" Angela repeated the last word of her earlier sentence.

Gaeta nodded in assent.

'This will go better than expected,' she said softly to herself. For a moment Gaeta glanced to her. His reaction made Angela realize how much she talked to herself. It would be something she would have to work on. The room they entered was the same one from yesterday when the civilian attempted to take her pda. Once she sat down she began to write out something else for Gaeta to know. When he sat down she pushed the computer over to him and pointed to the screen while handing him the stylus.

"If you write what you want me to understand it will translate the text for you," he read quietly.

"Who?" he asked indicating the screen.

Angela furrowed her brow, trying to remember what the word meant. When nothing came she shook her head.

'Who?' he asked again.

It was Angela's turn to be surprised. She never expected Felix to even attempt to learn her language. Looking down to the pda she pulled up the information imbedded inside the program. There was only one word that it was connected too, but she wasn't sure if it was a person or not. "Karl 'Helo' Agathorn," she said while shrugging her shoulders.

Taking the stylus Gaeta wrote down that Helo was the Colonial liaison with the Terrans. Angela nodded, she knew she should have realized there would be some type of personnel exchange.

"Hey Felix," Kelly called from just inside the door.

Gaeta turned, "Yes. . .Sir?" he almost forgot the title.

"The Old Man wants to see you. Her too." Kelly nodded in Angela's direction.

Nodding, Gaeta said quietly, "Admiral Adama."

Nodding, the Terran officer picked up the pda and slid the stylus back in its spot and got to her feet and followed the tactical officer out and into the corridor.

oOoOo

Bill woke some time before reveille. For a moment or two he contemplated on having his rack expanded but quickly decided against it. If he did that then his crew would know something was going on. For now he selfishly wanted his relationship with Laura completely private. Plus, with a narrow rack, it made for interesting positions. For a time he considered what he would have done if she had died of the cancer that had ravaged her body. Even now he understood that he had come to rely on her more than he should have. For the longest time he kept up the front that the two of them needed to be in complete synch for things to run smoothly. Their earlier break had, he finally understood when they reached Kobol, been his fault. So he was the one to reach a hand out in reconciliation.

Turning onto his side, he tried to as unobtrusively as possible, to get out of the rack without waking Laura. He realized with some dismay it was not going to happen any time soon for her arms tightened around him. "Laura," he mumbled as his free hand ran through her thick burgundy hair. "I need to get up, Laura." When she didn't respond, Bill tried to figure out a way to wake her up without getting her too upset. The sigh that came out seemed almost resigned as he tipped her face up to his. At the last moment a faint gleam appeared in his eyes as he began to rain kisses over her face. Even with her eyes closed he could feel her soon struggle not to respond. She quickly gave that up and found his mouth blindly and settled into a long kiss.

Barely even stopping to breathe Bill found himself on his back with Laura now straddling him. With her provocative movements he quickly felt his grip on his self-control spiral out of his grasp. Soon he was in a swirling mass of sensations as she made love to him. After the crashing release, the first things he could consciously focus on were that she was gently tracing his long scar with her fingers. Pushing up on his elbows, he finally sat up and cupped her face while kissing her again. "Not what I had in mind, but it works." There was a slight sense of loss when the connection was broken and she slid off of him.

"What did you have in mind?" Laura asked as she watched him open his closet to retrieve one of his uniforms. Looking over his shoulder he gave her a slight smirk but ducked quickly when she threw one of the pillows at him. Turning back to the closet, he pulled out the uniform and moved into the head. He knew, she would follow him fairly soon and wasn't disappointed when she hung her suit on the semi-large hook on the inside of the door.

Once Bill was finished cleaning up, he went back to his office area and began to look over one of the never ending reports he got constantly.

_"CIC to Admiral,"_ Kelly's voice came from the small comm. speaker.

"Adama. What is it?"

_"Sir, we've just received word that the larger of the two ships is a disaster-relief vessel. They are wanting population density reports from the different civilian vessels so the supplies can be disbursed accordingly."_

Adama frowned for a moment before answering, "Have Lieutenants Gaeta and Glennan report to me."

_"Yes, Sir."_

Bill replaced the handset into its cradle while pondering what to do. _What are they doing, and what will we have to give up in return for this assistance?_ he thought morbidly.

"What's wrong, Bill?" Laura asked as she stepped out of the head.

"The larger of the two new ships is a disaster-relief supply ship. If that's what it is, why did it take them this long to tell us?"

Laura raised her eyebrows, "You know I want to talk to the liaison about this."

"She's already been called. Captain Kelly has gone to search for her and Lieutenant Gaeta."

"Good. I do not like not getting information like this." Sitting down she continued while shaking her head, "But we are at their mercy."

"Until we can get the other civilian ships FTL drives working again," Bill answered.

"I wish we knew more about them." Laura leaned back and closed her eyes. "Like where they're from and if they know about Earth."

There was a knock on the door before Bill could answer. Giving Laura a look he stood up and moved to the door. Turning the lock, he pulled the door open to let the two officers come inside. At Glennan's look Adama realized that she had not been here before. The Terran's eyes did a quick scan of the entire room before settling on him. Her green eyes held curiosity at the moment.

"Lieutenant," Adama addressed his tactical officer. "One of the Terran ships is for disasters. I want to know why we weren't made aware if it earlier."

Turning to Angela, Gaeta pointed towards the pda. Without hesitation she pulled out the stylus and handed the small computer to him to. While writing down the question Gaeta commented, "Sir, Lieutenant Agathorn was able to update the translation program." When he was finished Gaeta handed the pda back to the Terran officer.

_Why me,_ Angela thought as she read the thinly veiled demand. She lowered her shoulders while she shook her head helplessly. In a moment of confusion, realizing even she was left out of the loop her shielding thinned sufficiently enough for Adama to see that like the Colonials she was not told about the ship's contents. Looking down to the pda, Angela wrote quickly and then replied, "I am sorry, I am like you. I was not told about the ship. All I know was that four ships were requested, two frigates and two destroyers."

Adama finally nodded, having seen enough to know she was telling the truth, for now. "I want to find out why we weren't told."

Angela furrowed her brow in confusion. She was able to pick up a few words, but not enough to know what Adama had said. 'Please?' she asked as the conversation continued to go on while ignoring her.

"You believe her?" Laura got up and moved over to the group.

"Let's just say for now she is telling the truth," Adama answered cryptically.

Not getting the answer she wanted, Laura turned to Gaeta for help. She quickly found out the young officer was just as confused at Adama's reasons as she was.

"Please?" Angela finally asked. She felt like when she was a child growing up with the adults talking above her. The whole scene made her want to either throw the pda hard enough to smash it against the bulkhead, or put her head in her hands and cry. Nothing was going right and she could barely understand anything around her.

"Admiral," Laura started when she saw how Glennan was acting. "I think it would be good to get her out of this environment."

"What do you mean?"

Laura looked at him over her glasses, "If I were her, I would be tearing my hair out right now. She's confused and has no idea what we're talking about. And, we're not helping it either."

"Sir, if you want I'll learn her language. That way it will make things easier," Gaeta offered.

Adama looked from one to the other. The idea had merit, plus it was something he had not considered.

"And the Quorum needs to know about the supply ship. They are the ones that hold the population numbers."

"Lieutenant Gaeta, for the rest of the day I am releasing you of your duties. Because of yesterday's incident I want you to escort Lieutenant Glennan over to _Cloud Nine_ where she can inform the Quorum of the disbursement of the supplies to the civilians."

Angela's head jerked around when she heard her name, though she wasn't sure what it was in reference about. "Yes?" she asked.

Having pity on her, Gaeta reached for the pda and wrote down for her about her impending trip to _Cloud Nine_ and her meeting with the highest civilian government body the Colonials had left for the distribution of relief supplies to the appropriate ships.

"While that is going on, I'm going to talk with Captain O'Neill about why we weren't informed earlier," Adama said under his breath, but just loud enough for Laura to hear.

TBC...


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 15  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: EllyMelly & Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

Gaeta glanced surreptitiously towards Angela when they stepped out of the admiral's quarters. The last few minutes had not been kind to the Terran and it easily showed. She sighed as she looked down to her pda. "Quarters, please?" she asked as she looked back up. When they reached her cabin he followed her as she slipped inside, but not before debating on whether or not to follow her.

Once inside he watched as she moved over to the wall, pulled out a thin box, and placed it on the table. Alongside the box he noticed a book placed on top of a notebook. Curiosity getting the better of him, he moved over to the table and pulled the book towards him. Once opened, he couldn't help but wonder if it was part of her religion or even if she had one. Angela had made no indication either way. Flipping back over to the cover he studied the symbol on the front. It was nothing he had ever seen before. His curiosity was heightened even more when he found an image of one of their temples in the last parts of the book.

Feeling watched he looked up and noticed she was looking at him. A slight smile flitted across her face as she reached for the book and notebook. Getting up, she took them over to the table beside her rack and then did something odd. She touched her forehead and both of her shoulders while mumbling something. _Interesting_, he thought to himself. Soon enough she was back in front of the box she had opened up minutes before. When the screen lit up he began to realize she was entering commands in it by way of several rows of keys on the lower section of it. His eyes widened at the possibility of what the box was while reaching for the pda. 'Is that a computer?' he asked. If it was, it was more powerful than anything he had ever seen before, and the speed of the processor was incredible.

Angela nodded distractedly as she chose one of the lines on the screen. As she skimmed over the message that appeared her shoulders sagged as she lowered her head. Reaching over, she plugged the pda into the computer and put in a few commands. When finished she shut the computer down and placed it in an unobtrusive spot. "I see Admiral," she said slowly not even bothering to get an accurate translation.

Gaeta could understand her message easily enough. Something had happened that she felt the need to talk to the Old Man, though he had no idea what it could be. When they rounded the corner in the corridor, he found Adama leaving his quarters. "Sir?" he asked to get his attention while coming up to him.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

Angela handed Adama the pda and indicated the screen without bothering to say anything.

"When were you told about this?" he asked after skimming through the message. When there was no answer Adama looked to her for a moment. It was only on seeing her confusion that he realized she was still not able to understand his question.

"Sir, there's a place down below the message. If you write out the question, it should translate it into her language," Gaeta commented helpfully while showing him where the stylus was located.

"On the screen?" Bill asked as he held the stylus.

"Yes, Sir."

Adama nodded as he jotted down his question. When finished he watched in fascination as words were translated. When it was finished he handed it back to Angela and waited for her to explain her actions. He knew she had been telling him the truth earlier, and he could tell that she still wasn't lying.

"The message was given the wrong subject line, and the wrong priority. I should have gone through to make sure everything was received property. I am sorry about this, Sir. It will not happen again," was her answer.

Adama accepted her explanation, knowing that she would be harder on herself than he could ever be. "Be more careful next time," he said with a slight smile while moving away from them.

"Yes, Sir," Gaeta answered while nodding. Reaching for the pda, Gaeta wrote down Adama's final comment so she would know what he had said. When she read it she took a deep breath and nodded. "Come, we are due to meet up with the Quorum on _Cloud Nine_," he said as he wrote it down.

"How. . .formal?" Angela asked slowly.

Not knowing the words in her language Gaeta wrote out, "You're fine."

Angela didn't feel that comfortable with wearing just a simple working dress uniform before the refugees highest civilian body. She shook her head and turned back around, she felt it would be best if she wore something more official. Following her around the corner once again, Gaeta found the President's aide standing outside Angela's cabin. "Lieutenant," Billy started, "the President will accompany the two of you to _Cloud Nine_."

"Thank you," Gaeta answered while opening the door and letting Angela step inside.

"What?" Angela asked as she turned around and crossed her arms once the door was closed.

'President Roslin. . .' Gaeta had to stop when he realized just how little he knew of Angela's language. He finally had to indicate her pda so he could translate the message. 'President Roslin will accompany us to _Cloud Nine_,' he relayed the message.

Angela nodded while she went over to her closet and pulled out a set of black clothing. It was like nothing he had ever seen before and for a moment he just stared at it after she hung it up on the available hook. Even though it was black, it had gold accents and above the left breast there were some unusual pins and several multicolored stripes, along with what seemed to be writing. Glancing back over to Angela, he found her with her arms crossed again and looking directly at him. For a moment he was unsure of what she wanted him to do. It was only when she pointed to the door did he realize that she wanted him to leave. With a quick nod he turned and exited the cabin closing the door firmly behind him. Taking a deep breath he leaned up against the bulkhead and let his head rest against it while closing his eyes.

"Lieutenant?"

Gaeta's eyes flew open. He had no idea how long he had been in that position. "Sorry, Ma'am," he fumbled over his words.

Laura gave the young lieutenant a smile before continuing, "How long have you been out here waiting?"

"Um, maybe five minutes or so, I'm not quite sure, Ma'am. She's, uh, changing right now," he finished while indicating the door. Before he could say anything else the door opened up and Angela stepped out. She looked completely different from before with highly polished black shoes and black pants and jacket buttoned up. She had something under her arm as she turned around and pulled the door closed. Turning back towards the two, she removed what had been under her arm and fit it snugly on her head. The gold and color accents on the black uniform only accentuated the culture of the unknown military.

"This will work," Laura commented absently while letting a smile cross her features. It was still a shock to see it before her though. It was one thing to know about it in principle, but something different to see it standing before her. Gaeta only stared at her before shaking himself out of it, with the aide of her hand waving in front of him.

"I ready go to _Cloud Nine_," Angela stated, not bothering to look at the pda in her hand.

"Right, um," he stumbled over his words again. With an arm he indicated the direction they needed to go to reach the hanger deck. It took several minutes to reach their destination. Gaeta could feel the deck gang's eyes on him, more specifically on the Terran. Her formal uniform was nothing like theirs and it made her stand out even more than she would have by herself. He wondered if the ship they stopped in front of was anything like the Terran military vessels. Just as she took a step towards the small ship, Angela turned around and indicated the door, not quite sure she if it was the correct ship or not. When he nodded she turned back around and took a step inside the small ship while pulling her hat off and tucking it under her arm once more. When they were settled Angela saw the woman who had accompanied them settle in one of the chairs closer to the pilot's seat.

"Wait, President come?" she asked as the door sealed shut.

Gaeta looked towards the pilot's chair before answering quietly, "She's on board." At Angela's confusion he tried using her language, but quickly realized he didn't know enough to get his point across. Not bothering to get the pda to tell Angela he decided to point to their President.

"Her?" Angela gave him a rather disbelieving look while shaking her head. Lowering her voice, she continued, "Her and Admiral?"

In answer to her question he placed a finger to his lips, indicating that it was not to be spoken about.

Angela shrugged her shoulders somewhat noncommittally but she wrote something down and handed the pda to him. Reading it he shifted uncomfortably in his seat while formulating his answer, 'No.'

The Terran nodded while looking at the back of the refugee's political leader. Remembering something, she reached for the small computer while asking, "What call you?" She hesitated then repeated it in her language, 'What do you call your people?' To help, she wrote it down. While handing it back to Gaeta, Angela glanced up just as one of the refugee's fighters flew past the shuttle.

Gaeta closed his eyes when he read her question. The answer wasn't something he really wanted to discuss at the present time, but he knew he had to. Unlike what she just did, he opted to write out his answer. It was easier to write it out. Words were impersonal, but speaking them out loud made it suddenly harder. _We had twelve worlds and one government._ Gaeta found it hard but oddly releasing at the same time. It was one thing to talk to his fellow officers about the massive loss, but something completely different to someone that had no concept or idea of what they had been through in the last eight months.

"I sorry," Angela touched his arm. 'Pain shared is cut in half,' she mumbled while looking back outside the small shuttle.

'What?'

Angela shook her head, but then indicated for him to continue.

_Officially we call ourselves the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, and the military the Colonial Military._

"Thank. . .you," she answered. It was then she was able to get the pda back and write out what she had said; _A joy shared is doubled, while a pain shared is cut in half._

The rest of the trip remained rather quiet until the docking procedure was completed. After releasing the harnesses the small group stood up and made for the exit. The hanger was much like any other hanger, except there was two marines waiting for the President to disembark from the ship. When Angela set foot on the hanger deck she put her hat back on while waiting for Gaeta to finish whatever he was doing. She couldn't help but notice that the noncoms were acting the same way as the ones on the _Galactica_. It was then she remembered that she was wearing her formal uniform, and that it was completely different from the Colonials.

"Come," Gaeta said while moving beside her. Roslin had already left for the council chambers, which left the hanger mostly empty. Nodding Angela followed him through several different corridors. If she weren't careful she'd get lost, they all looked the same. It was when Gaeta reached the last door, this one, unlike all the others opened on its own. Angela stopped in amazement of what was before her. Not bothering to hide her astonishment, she slowly took a few steps into the perfectly created outdoor environment. If she had even bothered, she would have noticed the people around her smiling at her in amusement. She walked over to the immaculately manicured lawn and knelt down. _It's real. . ._ was all that went through her mind. "How?" she finally was able to force out. Even the horizon seemed to be in the far distance, but somehow she knew it was only an illusion, albeit a very well crafted one.

Gaeta couldn't help but smile in amusement at her reactions. Even he had the same thoughts when he first came to _Cloud Nine_. "Later," he finally commented as he came up beside her kneeling form. Glancing at his watch he noticed it was almost time. They didn't have an appointment per se, but he felt it would be wise to come before the Quorum in the morning. No telling how long it would take to get the information transferred. He only hoped that they would be able to at least break for lunch if it took longer than estimated.

Taking a chance he could be thrown easily, Gaeta reached down and grasped her arm to pull her to her feet. "Later," he repeated as he tugged at her arm and started pulling her to the Quorum's Chambers. When she started moving he released his grip letting her follow.

'Wait,' she complained, 'I want to look some more.'

"You can after the Quorum meeting," he answered. Even though he didn't know what she said, he had a pretty good idea what it was.

'All right,' she said in resignation.

oOoOo

Laura pulled off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had only been here for five minutes and she was already developing a headache. Her only hope was that the liaison would show up early enough to get the other quorum members sufficiently distracted with the supply distribution to be able to fix what needed to be fixed and get things done that needed to be done.

Some time ago, she had heard some odd reports about supplies turning up in places where they weren't planned. That was something she wanted to discuss with the other Quorum members, but they all moved the debates, some very heated, in the opposite direction.

What was even worse now was that Baltar was making his complaints known very loudly. "It was that woman's fault," he adamantly argued. The vice president seemed to think he was completely above the law. Some word had filtered down through the rumor mill stating that he had attempted to steal something that was clearly not his. "She threw me to the ground."

At that moment Gaeta and Angela stepped inside the chambers. As if he had super human hearing, the vice president turned around and pointed to the liaison. "And she's the one. I tell you she has super human strength. I believe she's a cylon!"

"Vice President Baltar, do not make accusations until they can be backed up with proper evidence," Laura sternly replied. Her words didn't help though, the damage had been done and the other council members were leaning back in their chairs. The marines that guarded the doors didn't seem to react except to maybe hold their weapons tighter.

"She's not a cylon," Gaeta answered. He knew she wasn't. Angela might be stronger than a typical woman, but not as strong as the female pilots. "Our female pilots are stronger than Lieutenant Glennan."

"I do not believe you," Baltar strode up to the two officers.

Sensing rather than seeing Angela shift positions, Gaeta lowered his voice, "I would be careful if I were you, Sir." Turning his full attention back to Angela, he could easily see she was just as confused as the conversation earlier, but he could also tell she felt very threatened by the Vice President's actions.

"I want proof," Zarek finally spoke up.

"What kind of proof are you looking for? You don't need any proof. I tell you she's a cylon!" Baltar exclaimed.

"That's enough, Gaius," Laura's voice lowered sufficiently to finally get the scientist's attention. "I think Zarek has a valid observation. It would be good to have actual proof."

"Sir, I can tell you she has a fighting style because of her size," Gaeta spoke again in Angela's defense.

"That may be good, Lieutenant, but I want proof," Zarek commented once again, this time abandoning his seat and coming down to the three individuals.

Sighing, Gaeta indicated the pda. Once in hand he wrote down quickly that Zarek wanted a demonstration of her abilities, especially the ones she had been using on the marines, himself included. When she read the translation Angela nodded and took off her hat and jacket to hand them to Gaeta, then quickly slid into a defensive posture. With a hand she indicated that Zarek was to come towards her. With one quick move she had the council member in a head lock, but didn't tighten her grip. Just as quickly she released him. Now reaching up she put a finger under his nose and easily pushed his head back to show him just how easy it is to put someone off balance.

When finished she stepped back and donned her jacket while tucking her hat under her arm.

"She's not a cylon," Zarek commented after a moment, "and if she was, she wasn't made to be powerful. I do think it would be wise to test her to make sure."

"How can you just take her side?" Baltar asked incredulously.

"Because even I can tell that was something no one has ever seen before," Zarek shot back while claiming his seat once again.

The vice president looked around quickly then finally said, "That thing she's holding is a computer. I need to make sure that it doesn't have a network it's connected to. If it does, it will have to be wiped."

"Wait a minute," Gaeta spoke up once again. "All she uses it for is translation. She does not speak our language."

Shaking his head in disgust, Baltar finally stormed out of the council chambers.

The echo of the door slamming shut reverberated through the room several minutes before Laura spoke, "I'm sorry for that Lieutenant. Now could you inform the council the reason why both of you are here?"

Gaeta nodded while reaching for the pda once again. After writing down the request he handed it back to Angela.

Reading the request, she keyed a few requests into the pda then answered, to the council members surprise, "The larger of the two ships is a disaster-relief ship. I need population density specifications for the disbursement of relief supplies."

TBC...


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 16  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: EllyMelly & Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixteen_**

"You know, we have several hours to wait before the Quorum delivers the information we need," Gaeta commented before transcribing the sentence. They were in the cafe eating what he considered to be an early lunch - - not realizing that Angela considered it dinner. At the moment, though, he wanted to see how much Angela understood. She was a fast learner, something he never even considered before now. The concept of using other words was still something new for him.

Putting the fork down, she closed her eyes for a moment. Eventually her shoulders sagged slightly, sighing as she shook her head.

"Do you understand?"

"No many."

Gaeta shook his head. "Not much." He corrected her while sliding the pda across the table so she could see what he had really said. Pulling out the stylus Angela wrote quickly, "For someone that can speak four languages, you would think it would get easier each time."

"Four?" Gaeta's eyes widened in surprise.

Angela nodded before answering, "Terra has a couple thousand different languages, English is just the dominant one."

"How can that be possible," he muttered while shaking his head.

'It just is,' she answered while picking up her fork, not even noticing his sharp glance.

Gaeta looked closely at her uniform once again. While in the Quorum chamber it had been a big surprise when she removed her jacket only to find what looked like a uniform shirt underneath. Unlike theirs, she could walk around without her jacket and still be considered in uniform. It was an interesting concept, another one he never thought about. Before sitting down she had hung her jacket on the back of the chair while placing her hat on the table. That was another thing he was having to get used to. He was used to marines having headgear, but officers and noncoms?

"So the council will have the information to us by tomorrow?" Angela asked while fiddling with the pda.

Gaeta shook his head while answering, "No. It will be today."

Angela nodded once again. Her absentminded answers proved to him she knew more than she was letting on. Then again, she might not be trying to understand, but was doing it anyway, he mused.

When she finally finished eating, she pushed the plate away from her and did a few more things with the pda. Reaching down, she pulled out from her jacket pocket a unknown component. Looking at it closely she gave a slight grunt and then attached it to the back of the pda. Now pressing another series of buttons, she smiled to herself and raised it up and faced him. Once it produced a clicking sound she lowered it then nodded in satisfaction. Turning it around he found himself staring absently back from the screen.

_Pictures? It takes pictures?_ Gaeta thought incredulously. The implications brought another set of problems to the fore. Just what else could it do? He had sworn before the Quorum that all it did was translation work. He really needed to know what else it could do. Using a signal that they had worked out, he asked for it. Pulling out the stylus he wrote his question down, hopefully not in an angry way.

Turning it around he handed her the stylus and gave her a slightly stern look. He did not like to be surprised like this, plus it was not good.

Reading his question she flushed slightly and lowered her head with a guilty look. Even though he was slightly angry he thought she looked rather cute like that, but quickly squashed the thought before it could go any further.

After some hesitation she began writing. It took some time since she kept changing her words. When she seemed satisfied she responded slowly, "It is a computer, but not as powerful as the one you saw in my cabin. One of the programs is for translation, but I can send and receive messages as long as I'm close enough to another computer." She stopped for a moment surprised at Gaeta's almost paranoid reaction before continuing, "Only if it has matching hardware. Right now it is completely independent of any other computer, and it has a lot of security features built into it so it will not be compromised with a computer virus." Setting the stylus down she looked at his bowed head. "Why are wrong?" For a moment she flexed her hand and forced herself to not reach out.

When he finally looked up she thought he was very angry of how and where the conversation had gone. His voice told a different story. It was full of pain and grief. "Our enemies like to use computer attacks. We have lost a great deal to their attacks." Even though she could understand only bits and pieces of it she dared not ask him to write it down. All she knew was that it was big enough to force the Colonials from their homes in search of somewhere to settle.

"Sorry," she finally answered while looking down. Everything seemed so trivial now compared to their loss, even her own.

'We have several hours free. You have time to go out and look at the outside environment.'

Angela looked up quickly, she had not heard him reach for the pda, but he had. He was still holding the stylus, the tip was pointed in her direction. The Colonial officer seemed to have pulled himself together. For a moment she considered his request, she was looking forward to exploring the ship, within reason.

"Is sure?" she asked as she reached for the pda.

Gaeta held onto the small computer while shaking his head.

"No?" Angela's shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment.

"Are you sure," Gaeta finally corrected her.

'Oh.' She continued, "Are you sure?"

Gaeta nodded while writing something else down, 'Until I know for certain, I do not want you taking any pictures.'

Eventually Angela nodded in acquiescence. She could understand why he restricted it. To show she fully understood, she took the pda back and removed the component from the back and put it back where she had found it. Angela would just have to give O'Neill word descriptions of what she saw.

Standing up, she picked up her jacket and folded it over her arm and held her hat in her hand. Gaeta still had the pda.

When they stepped out of the eating establishment, her eyes widened once again. Terra had nothing like this at all. Angela wondered if originally the ship was a destination in its own right. The odd part about it all was the technology required for its construction was on the highest level, while the military vessel she had just come from was painfully primitive. Something was wrong with that image, and she wanted to find out why. That would be later though, right now she felt almost like she was on shore leave wandering through Hyde Park.

Several hours later Angela was sitting on a bench watching the extravagant water fountain lull her into a semi-stupor. With water restrictions, in her estimation, the fountain seemed like something too lavish to use. Somewhere down below she knew they would have to be reusing the water. Gaeta had told her earlier that once a week they do have rain for the outside environment and to make sure the system still worked, but for only five minutes at a time. That water would eventually be recycled. Those times had now turned into an event that no one wanted to miss if they were on the ship. She yawned. Even though it was still "day" her body was telling her something different. Zulu time has to be at least 6 hours ahead of the Colonials time. It had been a very long day.

Angela ignored the footsteps and approaching shadow, opting to watch the running water. When the person sat down, she knew she couldn't ignore him or her anymore.

'President Roslin said the information will be ready tomorrow,' Gaeta said.

'Figures,' Angela muttered. 'Typical politicians.' She turned and couldn't help but notice him folding up a piece of paper and putting it in his pocket. "Back?" Angela asked while attempting not to yawn again.

Nodding, they both got to their feet and slowly worked their way back to the hanger deck. When they reached the bar area Gaeta found the pilot (who also had the time off), and stopped to inform him that they were heading back to the _Galactica_ but without the President. The three eventually reached the hanger deck and then let the pilot get the ship warmed up before they boarded.

When they were in flight Angela commented, "You know, I can contact my ship and have your liaison start prepping the relief supplies for their transfer."

Gaeta nodded thoughtfully. He could easily tell she was exhausted, but not too tired to help with the supply situation. She then tapped his shoulder to get his attention and pointed to the pda. _Your President and Admiral?_

Gaeta closed his eyes, this was something he did not want to deal with at the moment, but she had picked up on it very quickly. He also didn't want to say anything out loud. _Not here. I will explain later,_ was his answer.

Angela nodded again, but much slower than before. _She must be tired_, he thought to himself. The trip would take about thirty minutes in flight and then the landing. That would give her about forty minutes of rest if she so chose. Soon enough she was drifting off. Without realizing it her head leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

_Maybe they have shorter days_, Gaeta thought. He glanced towards the pilot and shrugged when he caught the pilot's curious eyes. The rest of the trip, though, was quiet. When finally they entered _Galactica_'s starboard flightpod he shifted and turned to wake her up.

'Thanks,' she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. Blinking, she ran a hand through her hair then put her hat on without thinking. When they exited the raptor she had collected her things, but not bothered to put her jacket back on. Entering her cabin she set the hat on the table and draped her jacket on the back of the closest chair. Coming back around she sat down heavily and yawned again.

"Nap?" Gaeta asked while raising his eyebrows.

"Much late." Angela propped her head against her palm. Gaeta nodded while he put the pda on the table. He needed to see Adama before getting something to eat. 'Send message?' he asked as she closed her eyes once again. Shrugging he figured she was too tired to even care. Just as he was turning around to leave he caught out of the corner of his eye Angela getting up and heading over to the wall where her other computer was stored.

Once out into the corridor, he secured her cabin door and went around the corner to Adama's quarters. He noted idly that the marine guard wasn't stationed outside. Knocking on the door, Gaeta waited a few minutes for it to be opened. Stepping inside he saw with surprise that Tigh was there. The executive officer, though, seemed to be in the process of leaving.

"We can finish our discussion later, Colonel," Adama released the higher ranking officer.

"Yes, Sir." While passing the tactical officer, Tigh glanced to him and then left.

"Lieutenant, how did it go?" Adama asked as he movied towards his office.

"No more than to be expected, Sir," Gaeta answered while following. "The Vice President was there. He accused Lieutenant Glennan of being a cylon in front of the Quorum." Gaeta looked down for a moment before continuing, "She gave a demonstration with Zarek. He concluded that she isn't, but wants her to be tested anyway."

"What about the supplies?"

"We're waiting on the Quorum to supply population density reports back to us for the disbursement of the supplies. Which reminds me." Gaeta reached inside his jacket pocket and handed Adama the folded up piece of paper. "From the President, Sir."

Taking the note, Adama opened it and scanned through the message quickly. "Anything else?"

"Yes, Sir. Vice President Baltar tried to get Glennan's property once again. He said it was a computer, but I disagreed with him at the time. Later, it became obvious that Baltar was right when Glennan used it to take a picture of me. I confronted her about it and she confirmed that it was a computer, and that it was capable of a wide variety of functions, from taking pictures, to taking notes and keeping schedules, to being a phone and navigation device on a planetary surface. But all of the advanced functions rely on signals or connections to other types of computers, none of which exist outside of her cabin on _Galactica_, or are compatible with the _Galactica_ without a large amout of hardware being installed on _Galactica_. The translation program is just a program. It can take pictures, and also has network capabilities. Originally I thought it was just a library viewer - -"

"But it's not." Adama shook his head.

"No, Sir. I did ask for her not to take any pictures unless given permission."

"Good. What about the network?"

"I don't think it is a risk at this time due to the limitations of the hardware, Sir. But I feel it prudent that it not be allowed physical contact with any of our systems. No telling what could happen."

"Until I can talk to her about it, no pictures of any kind."

"Yes, Sir."

TBC...


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 17  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Seventeen_**

Helo looked at the main screen on the Terran's version of the CIC. He was getting into the habit of checking every so often to see if the fleet was still there. Seeing it floating out there just beyond his reach was a very odd feeling. The fleet had become his home since his arrival back from Caprica. There was an ulterior motive for him being here. Here he could see the Terran vessels that had taken up station around the fleet. The latest arrivals were stationed next to the original Terran vessel. The one with odd markings, he had been told, was a real hospital ship. The other ships were her escorts. When he actually thought about it, he remembered seeing the same symbols in the Terran ship's Life Station. It was a wonder that they had a ship dedicated just to hospital functions. The other thing that really made him think was that almost every Terran ship in sight was unique in size and abilities. The Colonial Military had nothing at all like this.

"Lieutenant?"

Helo turned around, looking for the owner of the voice. The man who came up was dark, but not dark skinned, although a good portion of the people on board did have skin as dark as Dee.

'Yes?'

The officer blinked in surprise and stuttered a moment before continuing, 'The XO needs the update on which supplies go to each ship.'

Helo remained silent, he had no idea what the officer had just asked, it was too complicated for him at this early stage. He knew the XO wanted something, most likely the update. The Colonial officer knew he was late, but all he had been able to think about was Sharon and how she was doing. Added to that, he had not received any information from the Quorum about the needs of each ship. He could give generalizations, but with the supplies, the Terrans wanted specific numbers.

Helo looked down to the pda he had and brought up a sentence he knew it would be best to have memorized. 'Could you take me to him?' An ulterior motive to his request was that he did not want to get lost on the ship.

The officer nodded and turned on his heels. Not wanting to be left behind, Helo pushed off the wall he had been leaning against and followed him out and into the winding corridors. Soon enough he was outside the XO's office, a place he was becoming very familiar with. Catching his guide's eye, Helo nodded, letting him know he was all right. Without another word spoken, the Terran left for another part of the ship. When he was alone the Colonial knocked on the side of the door. He assumed O'Bryan was in there.

A moment later the door slid open, revealing the somewhat cramped office. 'Good, you're here,' Jack commented while turning around to head back to his desk.

Helo hesitated a moment, not quite sure what Jack had said. Shrugging, he eventually followed him in and sat down on one of the available chairs. The desk between them was cluttered, as usual. At the moment, Jack was shuffling through the piles looking for something. 'Yes,' he commented as he pulled out a duplicate pda. "I want to thank you once again for the updated translation program, Lieutenant."

Helo let a smile flit across his face before it disappeared. That was not the reason why Jack wanted him. 'Supplies.'

"Yes. Supplies." After a moment Jack continued, "Does your civilian government normally take this long?"

Helo shrugged.

'Of course you wouldn't, you're military,' Jack muttered.

'What?'

"Never mind." Before Jack could continue his computer made a sound. Turning to face the monitor Jack looked at the screen then touched it. Turning his attention back to Helo he continued after a fashion, "Looks like they've come through. We just received the information."

"Good," Helo answered in relief. 'I will be able to work out what goes where now.'

oOoOo

Angela woke up suddenly, waiting for the sounds of reveille. After a few minutes she realized that she had either over slept, or it was some time before. Sitting up slowly, she turned around to turn on her lamp. The garish light it produced brought tears to her eyes. Blinking a few times, she rubbed her face then turned around. She stopped in surprise at where she was. For a moment confusion reigned before she finally remembered where she was. The dream she had had last night had been of her being back on her ship, however This, however, was definitely not her cabin. The design of the room was completely different. It was more set up for civilians or high ranking members of the military than for someone in her position. Letting her eyes scan the room again, she saw where she had put her dress uniform. She had been too tired to put it up, but not about letting it just drop on the floor. Even dead tired, she would never allow that to happen.

Getting up, she turned and quickly made the bed, then went and put the uniform back up in the closet. Beside it she retrieved the same pair of bdu's she had worn early the day before. Once dressed she brought her notebook and bible back over to the table for her regular quiet time. After about an hour, she closed the book and pushed it and the notebook to the side and went to retrieve her laptop. After what had happened yesterday she felt it prudent that she go through every piece of her mail each morning. No telling what has come through.

Opening up the program she sighed; it was going to take a while. The program looked to be full to capacity.

Most of the messages she had been copied onto, so they only received cursory glances. Though she did look close enough to see what was being said. She got one message from her CO in the language she was learning. 'That is not funny,' she muttered to herself. Sighing, though, she thought she might know enough to decipher the message without having to go to the translation program. After a few minutes Angela thought she got the gist of it, then went onto the next message. That one turned out to be a personal message from an old friend who had just wanted to say 'hi'. Smiling, she immediately answered her and thanked her for the message. It was always good to hear from family and friends, even when she was as far away as she was.

Suddenly remembering something, Angela went back to her CO's message once again. For a moment she studied it closely, wanting to make sure she got it right before putting it through the translation program. She knew she was leaning too heavily on it, but it couldn't be helped. Still not getting whatever it was, she ran it through the translation program. She found out that the hospital ship had arrived with her escort, which just happened to be a frigate and destroyer; two ships that O'Neill had requested four days ago. _Has it been four days?_ she asked herself, but said out loud, 'That's very good. Their doctor will be pleased when he hears about it.'

The rest of the messages, like the earlier ones, she had been copied onto. In the end she deleted all but the two most important to her. Once finished she turned the computer off and put it back up. Pulling out the pda, she checked to see if the battery was charged up. Satisfied, she put it back in its cradle securely then turned around to get her workout clothes. Once changed, she draped a towel over her shoulders and grabbed her note before leaving her cabin. She was about to turn towards the Admiral's quarters but was surprised to see one of the marines she had worked with yesterday morning coming from around another corner.

"Lieutenant?" he asked with what she thought was concern.

Angela blinked and thought a moment before answering, "Uh, gym?"

The marine nodded and turned to leave the way he came. When they reached the gym Angela was stunned to find at least twice as many marines than were there than yesterday. They all turned towards the door and looked at her expectantly as she was hit with the smell of stale sweat.

"She lost?" one of the marines called out.

"Nah, I think she's late."

Angela looked at the group, not sure what they were talking about. She had a suspicion it was about her. What did please her was that there was an open space ready for her warm-up. Unlike the first time, she was able to practice without any of the heckles she had received early on. Their looks were now of curiosity rather than derision. That was a step in the right direction she thought, then stilled her mind to concentrate on the slow movements Tai Chi demanded.

Once finished she looked to the group; they seemed fit and warmed up. Looking at one she did not recognize, she invited him out onto the mat. A short time later the door opened and closed again, but Angela was too busy to notice who had entered. It was common practice while in the gym on her ship to not have to deal with rank protocol while working out. She had a feeling it was the same with the Colonials.

"So this is why," a woman's voice commented while Angela pulled her latest victim to his feet. The ones that had not been there the day before had learned very quickly that nothing they did would work on her. She always had a way out of any situation they attempted to put her in.

Once he was on his feet, Angela turned to face the newcomer. The woman was taller than herself and had short blonde hair. She looked like a flyboy and acted like one. Shouldn't be too much of a challenge, she thought to herself.

One of the marines went over to the blonde and said something to her. _Probably warning her_, Angela thought to herself with a rather sardonic grin on her face.

"Sir, you don't want to go out there," another one called out.

"Can't be that much of a threat," the blonde answered while pulling off her towel and stepping onto the mat.

Angela's expression turned deadly serious when she realized just how fast the blonde was. It took longer than expected, but in the end Angela used the woman's formidable strength against her and in a flurry of moments had her on the mat but stopped just short of the classic "kill" position. The blonde's eyes were wide with shock and then narrowed as she tried to figure out what just happened. When she turned her attention back to Angela she found a smile on the smaller woman's face and her hand turned around and open, in a sign of friendship. For a moment she looked as if she might pull the smaller woman to the floor, but then decided not to when she realized that she was being read. Eventually she took the hand and was helped to her feet.

"So how long did it take?" Gaeta asked from off to the side. He had entered during the short match.

"Take what?" the blonde answered while moving off the mat.

"You know what I'm talking about, Thrace," the tactical officer answered with a hint of frustration in his voice.

Angela ignored the two as she went back over to the bench and wiped the sweat off the back of her neck and face with her towel. Dropping it she went back over to the mat and started her cool-down stretches.

Kara lowered her voice to a whisper, "Rumor has it she's a cylon."

Gaeta closed his eyes before answering, "And you should know how true the rumor mill is. Plus I was there when it started."

Kara looked over to Angela then back to Gaeta, "So who started this particularly nasty one?"

"Baltar, who else? I'm worried about some of the more zealous civilians." Gaeta shook his head while continuing, "And what they will do to the Terrans."

Starbuck nodded while looking around once more. Lowering her voice she answered while slowly walking around the tactical officer, "You know, exercise can take many forms."

Gaeta closed his eyes, he didn't want her to know what her proximity was doing to him. "I would," he answered slowly, "but I don't have the time anymore."

Before Kara could answer Angela had joined the two of them. They quickly took a step back from each other. The Terran had finished the initial portion of her workout, but the two Colonial officers hadn't even started theirs, so she was somewhat prepared to wait for them. Kara had eventually wandered over to the punching bag to beat the crap out of it while Gaeta went over to the weight machines. After watching a few moments Angela wandered over to the circular machines. Like the ones on board her ship, these had visual instructions too, so it didn't take too long before she was lifting what weight she could with her small frame.

After about an hour Angela went back over to the bench and retrieved her towel. She was about to see if one of the marines could get her back to her cabin, but hesitated for a minute or two. Gaeta was still in the middle of his own workout. Not wanting to bother him, she caught a marine's attention and indicated the door. Right as she was going out the door, Angela looked back into the gym and the Colonial officers and enlisted men and women that were still working out. Turning back around she left and followed the marine back to her quarters so she could clean up.

A short time later, after showering and pulling on a working uniform she heard a knock on the door. Pulling the door open she found Gaeta standing just outside with a look of consternation on his face. Turning, he addressed one of the marines with him, then brought his attention back to her. Pulling the door further open he brushed fairly close to her while entering her cabin. "Why did you leave?" he asked as he turned around.

Angela furrowed her brow, wanting to make sure she heard him correctly before answering, "I. . .finish." She shrugged. "I. . .clean."

Gaeta closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. Opening them up, he looked over to her pda. Before he could take a step in its direction she was already over there and pulling it out of its cradle and turning it on. Once it was booted up she handed it to him. The tactical officer looked at the blank screen for a moment while trying to formulate his words. When finished, he decided to say it instead of handing the computer over to Angela. 'Could you have at least let me know where you were going? You could have gotten lost.'

Angela sank down on the nearest chair before answering, "Marine. . .take my - - me here." The thought then struck her, _he thinks he's responsible for me_. "No worry. I good."

"You find her yet?" Kara asked from the door. When she caught sight of Angela she nodded, "Good. How did she get here?"

"Marine," Gaeta answered.

Feeling ignored, Angela rose to her feet went over to Gaeta. With a quick move she retrieved her pda and scribbled something down before saying anything, "Please, do not treat me as a child. I have been in the military for ten years, first in ground forces and lately, on board a ship. I am fully capable of taking care of myself." Angela then took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she did anything stupid. When she felt she was under control she handed the pda back to Gaeta.

The tactical officer stood there surprised at the sudden outburst and the implications of what she had just said.

"You know, she's right," Kara said softly as she took another step further into the room.

Gaeta nodded while trying to formulate the Terran words. Angela's language skills were formidable, and was surprised at how fast she was learning their language. 'I. . .sad,' he fumbled over the foreign words. 'Not. . .' he eventually shook his head.

Angela's shoulder sank slightly, she really had no right to be angry with them. They were not used to dealing with language issues. How could she stay angry with Gaeta when he was clearly trying. With a small smile she indicated the pda he seemed to have forgotten he held in his hand.

Gaeta looked down in confusion for a moment before realizing what she was pointing too. He shook his head wryly as he pulled out the stylus and wrote down what he was trying to say. Instead of speaking he handed the pda back over to Angela so she could read it. _I am sorry, it is just that none of us have ever had to work with someone that spoke a different language. And, could you at least let me know if you are leaving?_

"He - - it all right." Angela nodded, that much she could do. Before she could say anything else her stomach growled loud enough for both Colonial officers to hear. "I ready food?" She had been preparing to get something to eat before the two officers showed up.

With a turn of his head, Gaeta indicated the door. Soon enough, both officers were following him, Angela out of necessity, and Kara out of curiosity. Half way there, Angela fiddled, then wrote something down. With a low voice she addressed the woman beside her, "I am sorry it is taking as long as it is learning your language."

Starbuck looked with surprise to the smaller woman before asking, "How long have you been on board?"

Not knowing numbers, Angela answered by holding up three fingers.

"Three days? You've been on board three days?"

"I. . .might. . .better, sorry."

"No," Kara shook her head at the apparent apprehension the Terran officer felt on not learning faster than she was. "You're wrong about th - -" she stopped when Angela handed over the pda. She was confused at what she was to do, the hand device was nothing she had ever seen before. "Hey Gaeta, what do I do with this?" she called out to the officer they were following.

He looked back quickly before answering, "Write down your question, it'll translate it for you."

She nodded, still somewhat dubious. Shrugging, she pulled out the stylus and wrote down what she was going to say. Watching it translate before her was an eye opening experience for her. Not knowing what to do, she handed it back to Angela and let the Terran officer read the comment.

"Thank you," Angela said quietly as she put the stylus back in its place and turned off the pda.

When they reached the junior officers ward room they were all in a much better mood than earlier. The two Colonial officers made it a point to make sure they included Angela in the conversation. Eventually Starbuck left to head over to the pilot ready room while the two remaining officers got up and went back towards Angela's cabin. During the entire conversation, Angela made it a point to not use the pda, which forced her to quickly learn the grammar. Words were easy, it was the grammar that she felt she always struggled with. When he walked past her cabin Angela furrowed her brow in confusion. "Where?"

Gaeta turned and pointed to the pda, "Admiral Adama wants to see you and your translator."

Angela held it up, not quite sure what he said. When he nodded she said, 'This is a pda.' She hesitated then said it once more while pointing to it, 'Pda. It means Personal Digital Assistant. . .pda.'

Once he understood he turned back around and continued. When they rounded the corner they stopped at the sight of the marine guards on duty. After a short exchange, one entered Adama's quarters. A minute later he reappeared and nodded, while keeping the door open.

"Sir," Gaeta started after he stepped inside. "You wanted to see Lieutenant Glennan's pda."

Angela glanced around the room once again. These quarters had a much more lived in look than the ones she was using.

"Pda?" Adama asked as he came from his office area.

Gaeta glanced over to Angela, wanting to make sure she was not left out of the conversation.

'Personal Digital Assistant,' she answered. Seeing Adama's confused look she finally wrote it down to translate, "Personal Digital Assistant." When the older officer neared she readily handed it over to him for his inspection.

"No pictures unless I give you permission."

"Yes. . .Sir," Angela nodded. She could only imagine what the Colonial liaison was thinking with the technological advances on her ship, especially coming from the painfully primitive _Galactica_.

TBC...


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 18  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Eighteen_**

"Lieutenant, is there any reason why my marines have requested formal classes from you?" Adama asked. He stopped when he realized she was pointing at the pda. "I'll never get used to this," he muttered while writing down his question. When it was translated he thought about reading it, but decided on the more economical procedure of handing the small computer back.

Angela looked at the honest question, surprised at how soon the request had come through. She had known when she came back to the gym earlier that morning that it would only be a matter of time before they asked for formal classes. After thinking about it for a few moments she started writing rather quickly. When finished, she continued, 'I know what I'm doing, Sir,' she said without thinking. Realizing what just happened, Angela wrote quickly and continued, "I know what I am doing, Sir. I knew this request would only be a matter of time. When I first entered the Terran military I was in ground forces. We were in a state of war with the Martoks. It was a bloody and brutal war that both militaries decided to call a truce. The unit I was a part of also dealt with anti terrorism. At the current time I am serving on board the _Ddoraig Goch_ as second in security."

Eventually Adama accepted her explanation then went over to his office. Picking up the handset, he spoke quickly, then hung it back up. Less than a minute later the door opened once again. This time Sgt. Hadrian stepped through. "You called for me, Sir?" she asked while saluting.

"Yes." Indicating Angela, Adama continued, "I am sure you already know from your soldiers about some unofficial classes early in the morning."

Hadrian relaxed into a more comfortable stance while answering, "Yes, Sir. I wanted to talk to you about that and find out who was conducting them."

Indicating the Terran liaison, he answered, "This is your new guest hand-combat instructor."

"Her?"

"Do you doubt her?" Adama asked while glancing over to his tactical officer. The young lieutenant was rolling his eyes at Hadrian's doubt.

"It's not that, Sir. It's her size."

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Adama turned his attention back to Gaeta. The tactical officer was handing the pda back to Glennan so she could read the message. "Lieutenant?"

"Sir, just letting her know what was going on. Because of her limited language skills at the moment she feels that we have not been treating her as a professional, and I am inclined to think she is right."

Adama stopped for a moment while regarding Gaeta's words. When he thought back, he realized that they had been doing that subconsciously. "Lieutenant," he began while looking straight at Angela, "I will make sure to not have this happen."

"Thank you, Sir," she answered.

Turning his attention back to Hadrian, Adama continued, "I want you to inform your marines that formal classes will begin the day after tomorrow. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir!" the marine sergeant saluted, then turned on her heels and left. There would be many happy, and a few not so happy about the prospect for them to learn something new.

When the door closed, Angela reported, "Sir, the hospital ship _Mercy_ has arrived with her escort. I should also receive the report concerning the supply distribution at any time."

"Good," Adama nodded. He remembered back during the First Cylon War they used hospital ships, and was glad that they weren't the only ones that had use for them. Now turning to his tactical officer, Adama continued, "You're dismissed, Lieutenant. I need you in CIC."

"Yes, Sir," Gaeta answered, then saluted. When it was returned, the tactical officer turned and left, but not before glancing back to Angela for a moment.

After the door closed, Angela asked, "Sir, I wish to retrieve my computer so I can work on setting up the distribution."

"That?" Adama pointed at the pda.

'No.' With her hands she tried to show the size of her working computer. "B-biggest?"

"Bigger?" Adama attempted to correct her while pointing to the pda. He thought she was comparing it to the hand computer she had been using.

"Bigger," she nodded while repeating the correct version.

Adama thought about it for a moment, he wasn't completely sure about whether or not she should use it. Gaeta thought that as long as it wasn't touching any of their computers it should be all right. Deciding to go against his gut instincts about networked computers for now, he nodded while indicating the door.

Out of habit, Angela gave him a quick salute and quickly left. It would take her less than a minute to retrieve the laptop and set it up in the Admiral's quarters.

"Is it safe?" Laura's voice came from the head.

Turning around, he found her leaning up against the door frame and with her arms crossed. "I don't think you would have asked that if you didn't feel it was all right," he answered while moving across the octagonal room towards her. He didn't want to admit to himself just how much he had missed her last night, even though she had sent him that message telling him she wouldn't make it back before nightfall. Before he made it half way across the room the door was already opening and Glennan was stepping back inside. Under her arm was a slim dark-colored box. "Bigger," Angela said while placing it on his table. Beside her pda, she had placed another component. This one was not even half the size of the hand device.

While waiting for the computer to boot up, Angela glanced around the room once again. Seeing President Roslin triggered her curiosity once again. Gaeta had never answered her earlier question out the two leaders, though she had been too tired to even care about bringing up the subject. She had doing good to make it to her bed the night before. For a moment she wondered how she got back from that fantastically advanced ship, but decided that was a question that would either remain unanswered, or learned from Gaeta.

When the laptop was up and running Angela looked to the two Colonial leaders and said, "Come." With the president looking over her shoulder and Adama sitting beside her, Angela opened up her email program while muttering, 'Damn, why didn't I ask for a printer.'

"What?" Laura asked.

"No. . .no thing," Angela answered while shaking her head. Grasping the pda she quickly wrote, _Sir, I will request an additional transceiver. It will make communications much easier between our ships. I would also think here would be a good place for it instead of where your communications is normally located._

"Good idea," Laura answered.

Angela looked at her in confusion, but thought that the President had agreed with it since she was smiling while nodding her head. Turning back, Angela quickly scanned through the new messages that had come through after she had exited the program early in the morning. Like before most were messages she had been copied onto, but she did receive one from her XO on the goch. That particular message had a file attached to it. Most of the time attachments were stripped for security, this one had not. Opening it up she scanned the short message and smiled. Turning to the two watching her, she smiled and tapped the screen while saying, "Supplies."

Selecting the file, she directed the computer to open the attachment after it was scanned for any viruses. The document came up in her word processing program. It was formatted in two columns. On one side it was written in the Colonial language, and on the other it was in English.

"Good," Laura commented as she looked closer at the screen. "Admiral?" she turned her attention back to Bill. "It would be good to have this printed out."

"I'm not going to hook it up to the _Galactica_ until I know for sure it's safe," he answered gruffly as he got to his feet.

'Huh?' Angela looked in confusion at what just happened. The two high ranking Colonials were still talking too fast for her to understand. Adama returned momentarily with a hand full of sheets of clean paper and something to write with. He handed the objects over to Angela.

_Hell no! I am not writing all of this down by hand! You have got to be kidding!_ she thought in shock. It was too inefficient, but it was clear what he wanted. Before taking them, she opened up another window and requested the need for a printer. She was not going to do any more writing than she had to. The message would be sent once the laptop was hooked back up in her cabin. For now, it would be staying in her inbox. While looking back to the stack of paper, Angela shook her head. "I, uh, no - - good." 'Damn,' she muttered as she reached for her pda. "It will take at least twice as long if you want me to copy this. You are going to need someone else to do this."

"All right," Laura answered. She lowered her voice while passing Bill, "It is a bit much, don't you think?"

"How else are we to get the information," he answered gruffly.

"By asking if they have a printer, maybe?" she countered. From there, she continued towards Bill's office cubbyhole. This time she keyed the direct line for the Primary Guest Quarters on a hunch that he might be there recuperating. "Billy, could you come? No, you'll be fine. Not to worry." _Except for your hands,_ she finished silently. When he arrived Laura indicated the table and computer. "Billy, we have the manifest for the supplies on this computer, the problem is that there is no printer."

"I see. . ." he trailed off while looking at the small Terran sitting in front of it. The computer she was using was nothing he had ever encountered before, and the speed that she was putting information into it was a marvel. Her fingers were moving as if they knew instinctively where to go.

Sitting down, he looked somewhat shyly to the woman while introducing himself, "Hi. I'm Billy Keikeya."

Angela hesitated a moment while processing what he said. "I Angela Glennan. Terran, uh. . ."

Billy nodded in understanding. It was fascinating to meet someone that spoke an entirely different language from Colonial. Now following her fingers, she pointed to one side of the screen, then to herself. Looking closer, he realized that it must be her language. The other side the manifest was in Colonial. Looking closer he found the supplies to be broken down by first ship and then by what type of supplies that would be given. Without a network, he knew it would take some time, but he didn't have anything else to do at the moment, and Dee was on duty.

A short time later Laura was looking at one of the supply lists, amazed at what the Terrans were going to provide for them. "We need to let Dr. Cottle know about the hospital ship," she commented while looking at the medical supplies that would be given to them. There were more pieces of paper scattered across the table where Billy had pushed them out of the way.

"Right," Bill answered while nodding absently. Adama looked up for a moment and saw Billy taking a short break. The Terran liaison was over his shoulder at the closest bookshelf. Laura, though, was watching the computer very intently. Curious as to why, Adama went over and looked at the screen. At that particular moment an image of Stonehenge appeared on the screen. Both Colonials gasped at the familiar image.

"What?" Angela asked as she turned around. Not understanding, she glanced back to her computer as another picture of her vacation was shown on the screen.

"The Tomb of Athena," Laura mumbled in awe as she grasped Bill's arm.

Angela's eyes narrowed slightly. Athena was one of the ancient Greek goddesses that was no longer worshipped. Earlier O'Neill had mentioned to her that they had to be related, but also told her that she should withhold that information unless under duress. The Colonial President's eyes widened once again. Turning, Angela saw the image from Tara.

"Lieutenant, where is that?" Laura pointed to the screen before the image disappeared.

Angela furrowed her brow for a moment then guessed that she must be referring to the place. That she could answer. "Tara, um, place. . .Ireland."

"And. . ." Laura drew a circle in the air with her finger.

"Stonehenge."

"Admiral," Laura indicated a place far enough away that they could speak quietly and not be disturbed. "Bill, that second place? Remember that vision I told you about that I had? That's the place, I'm sure of it!" she whispered.

"We can talk to Captain O'Neill about it," he answered.

"I'm just surprised to see those images. The first one has to be a replica from the Tomb on Kobol."

Bill nodded, already beginning to try to figure out just what was going on. Glancing back to the Terran, he noticed her watching Billy write down the manifest for the next ship. For a moment he thought of her reaction when Laura had mentioned Athena. "She knows something, though I'm not quite sure what it is."

"How can we find out?"

"We need to be patient for now," he answered while bringing his fingers up and quickly caressed her neck and cheek. For a moment he debated on whether or not to kiss her, but quickly squashed it, they had an audience. For now, she was his alone, and he jealously guarded it.

Angela knew exactly what the two Colonials were discussing with furious whispers. She closed her eyes at the thought that she might have accidentally revealed their hand. Not even thinking about looking back to the two, she touched one of the keys to make sure the screensaver stayed off while reaching for another sheet of paper. _How many ships did they have_, she asked herself. And to think before the advent of the typewriter and later on the computer printer, they did most copying by hand. So far she could tell Billy's handwriting was getting extremely sloppy, and his hand had to hurt from all that writing.

What really piqued Angela's curiosity, though, was that one ship only required MRE's.

"Lieutenant?"

Angela looked up again. The two had moved back over to the table at some point during their earlier discussion. Both seemed to have recovered from their previous surprises. "Uh, yes, Sir?" she answered.

"What - -," Bill was about to continue, but then finally remembered the translator. Moving to the opposite side of the table he drew the pda over and wrote down his question. He wasn't entirely sure how he was to pronounce the letters, even thought they were almost the same as the ones he learned as a child back on Caprica. _What is an mre?_ He handed it back over so she could read it.

Angela let a ghost of a smile cross her face before answering, "It means meals ready to eat, Sir." She repeated it in English so they both could hear what it was. "They are meals for soldiers, but for a normal person that is not very active, one is sufficient for an entire day's needs."

When Billy finally finished with the last of the manifests, Angela checked to see how much battery she had left with the computer. She probably had about two hours left, but didn't want to completely run the battery down. Yes, she had replacements, but she really didn't want to use them unless absolutely necessary. 'I wish I had that printer,' she grumbled again as she saw Billy try shake out the cramps out of his hand. Only a good massage would restore the muscles quicker than nonuse.

"Thank you, Billy," Laura said with a smile as she looked over the papers.

"You're welcome." He sighed as he flexed his fingers once again.

"That's all," she finished while straightening up the papers.

"Admiral," Angela started, then glanced down to the pda once again before continuing, "I have requested a printer. That way this will not happen again." _Piss poor performance_, she thought to herself. _How can a culture that built that fabulous ship be so painfully primitive at the same time,_ she thought.

"Thank you, that will be extremely helpful," Bill answered while looking at the sheet for the supplies that the _Galactica_ was due to receive.

"You welcome - -" Angela hesitated, not quite sure of the terminology.

"You're welcome," Laura nodded helpfully.

Nodding, the Terran quickly packed up the computer and pocketed the small box. Tucking the computer under her arm, she picked up the pda and left, never noticing Laura slipping her arms around Bill's neck.

TBC...

-----------------

Just a reminder here. Tara is an actual place in Ireland where the ancient high kings held court and sway over the land.


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 19  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Nineteen_**

Angela stepped inside her cabin with a calm look on her face. Her expression only hid what she was feeling on the inside. With deliberate care she placed her pda in its cradle and her laptop back in its place while hooking it up so the battery would not be depleted anymore than it already had. Backing up, she sighed as she ran a hand through her short hair. The Terran officer had not been expecting the Colonial President's reaction to her vacation pictures. She knew she would have to be more careful in the future. Before she forgot, Angela went back over to her laptop and changed the screensaver to one of the generic ones that came with the operating system.

Once finished, she turned the computer off once again and then went over to her comm. unit. When the line connected she immediately requested to speak to Captain O'Neill.

_'What is it, Lieutenant?'_

'There might be a problem, sir,' Angela answered slowly.

_'Which is?'_

'While transcribing the manifests, yes, I know, but that was the only way they could get the information, my screensaver came up. I had forgotten to disable it. It's not the screensaver per se, but what I had selected earlier, sir. They were my vacation pictures while on leave on Terra.'

_'What did they see?'_

'Their President, um, saw a picture of Stonehenge. And also some of the pictures I took while traveling in Ireland, specifically Tara. Sir, I didn't say anything or reveal the traditional name of Terra, but. . .' Angela knew she was babbling, but she couldn't help it.

_'Calm down, Glennan,'_ Mair said gently. _'We'll deal with it when it comes up.'_

'Sir, I feel like I ruined it.' Angela shook her head dejectedly. 'They know something, I just don't know what it is.'

_'Lieutenant Glennan, let me deal with it,'_ Mair's voice hardened slightly.

'Yes, Sir,' Angela answered contritely.

_'Good. I am glad that you made contact when you did. Your request for a printer has been approved and will be over shortly. It will be on the initial shuttle to begin the coordination.'_ She paused before continuing, _'Transcription?'_

"Yes, sir. Admiral Adama, I think, is wary of hooking my laptop up to their system, so the information was copied down by hand.'

_'Understandable. They do not trust computers. I wonder why?'_ Mair trailed off. _'It's just as well, it would probably not work without some setup work.'_

'Do you want me to find out, sir?'

_'No, that's all right. I want you to continue your mission.'_

Angela nodded while smiling. 'Yes, sir. I will say their marines only know brute force technique.'

_'I should have known you would entrench yourself in with their marines. What are your thoughts on them?'_

'Other than using brute force? Maybe that they're bored out of their minds? They seem to think that brute force is the only way to go. That won't work with me. Because of the last two mornings where I've constantly thrown them, especially the ones that are twice my size, they have requested formal classes on hand-to-hand.' Angela couldn't keep the smile out of her voice.

_'Really? That is interesting and could work to our advantage. Good work on that. I want you to continue and not let them figure out the real reason you are over there.'_

'Sir, there has been some issues though. They're not used to dealing with someone that speaks a different language. I felt like they were not treating me for who I was. Don't worry, I didn't do anything rash or stupid, but I did mention some of my background with ground forces. Admiral Adama is good and I have a feeling he might suspect the real reason I am here. He adjusted his earlier attitude on equality after I said something about it.' Hearing a knock at the door Angela continued hurriedly, 'Sir, I do have to go. There is someone outside my quarters who wants to talk to me.'

_'Lieutenant, I want to commend you for what you have done so far. What you are doing is hard work. I look forward to your next report.'_

'Thank you, Sir,' Angela answered with a smile as she closed the channel down. Getting up, she commented, 'I'm coming.' Pulling the door open, she blinked in surprise. For a moment she almost expected Gaeta to be there. Sgt. Hadrian was standing there with hand raised to knock once more. Opening the door further Angela backed up and let the marine sergeant come in. "Come," she nodded while walking quickly back over to her pda.

Taking a step inside, Hadrian looked around the room before setting her eyes back on Angela. Hadrian was used to her marines obeying her orders and unwittingly transferred it to the Terran. "I want you to come with me to set up the classes," she finished then turned around and started to leave.

Angela stood there in open mouth shock. _Oh Hell no! She did not just do what I think she did!_ She might not have understood what was said, but she could read the body language of the Colonial. "No."

Hadrian's back stiffened before turning around slowly. "You will come with me."

"I will do no such thing. As a lieutenant I am not under your command," Angela answered sharply using the same command tone she used with her own troops while touching her rank pins with her free hand.

Hadrian backtracked very quickly when she realized her grievous mistake. "Sir. I'm sorry. I was not informed of your rank," while speaking Hadrian pulled herself to attention. "Sir, I assumed you were one of the Terran marines. I'm sorry, sir."

Angela sighed while furrowing her brow. The Colonial sergeant was babbling to cover her serious blunder. From what she was able to glean she figured that the marine sergeant assumed she was a fellow marine, so answered appropriately, "No. Ground forces." Angela decided to take a step towards the woman while holding up the pda, "I use this for translation." Moving closer she showed Hadrian how to use it.

After a brief hesitation the sergeant took it then asked, 'Sir, how can you do what you do with your size?'

"Size means nothing." Angela shrugged. "It's your mind that counts."

'Come, the marines are waiting, Sir.' Hadrian let the barest hint of a smile flash across her face.

'Right.' Angela nodded while following the sergeant out and into the corridor. Once the door was secure she lengthened her stride and caught up with the Colonial. "Sir, they are looking forward to having formal classes later in the day than before reveille in the morning," Hadrian said as they turned a corner. The two never saw a nervous figure leaving quickly in another direction.

oOoOo

'So, is this what we're supposed to read?' Shuttle Pilot Janes looked at the screen recently placed in the center of the console.

The co-pilot, Ted Davis, commented, 'Dunno. I heard that the skipper had a special program installed here. Said that it translates what it hears into English.'

'It'll make it easier to talk to the Ruskies or the Chinese. Never could get my tongue around those," Janes shook his head.

Opening up the specially installed EMC receiver Janes sent a signal letting the Colonials know they were out there.

_"Terran shuttle, this is _Galactica, _approach port landing bay, hands on, speed one-zero-zero, checkers red, call the ball."_

'What do you think they mean by all that?' Davis commented as he brought the ship around to the back of the landing area.

'Dunno.' Janes shrugged his shoulders. 'Prolly means we gotta do this ourselves.'

Touching the comm Davis responded, 'We are on our final approach.' With infinite care he nudged the shuttle forward. If it was set up like any of the Terran ships he figured there would be an elevator somewhere within the large hanger.

'There.' Janes pointed towards an area that looked like what they were looking for.

'I see it.' With the gentle ease borne from experience, Davis set the shuttle down gently and let it roll to a stop. With another nudge, they taxied towards the obvious elevator. They could feel the jolt as it was secured then the elevator was lowered.

'You got the translator?' Janes asked as he unhooked his restraints.

'Yup.' Getting up, Davis moved to the back of the shuttle and made sure that everything was secure. They were giving up one of their subspace transceivers so communication would be much easier between the two sides. 'Hope the skipper knows what she's doin',' he mumbled as he checked it over once more. Off to the side was a basic printer sitting on top of a box of paper. Another box was right beside it. The first of the cargo to be transferred would go to the liaison.

With one last jolt the ship stopped moving. 'Here goes nothin',' Davis mumbled as he keyed in the sequence to open the hatch after the outside was pressurized. With a hiss and pop the seal broke and the door opened, revealing a rather large room. People in orange jumpsuits had stopped and were watching in curiosity at the Terrans as they slowly came down the ramp. Once on the deck the two Terrans secured the shuttle from moving.

"Get Captain Kelly!" Tyrol yelled to no one in particular.

"Yes, sir!" someone answered. No one bothered to even see who it was.

Looking around, Davis and Janes were struck by the sight of fighters in various stages of either repair or cannibalization.

"All right everyone, get back to work!" Tyrol turned around to address his people. When the crowd started disbursing he came up to the two Terrans. "I'm Chief Tyrol. I'd like to welcome you on board the Battlestar _Galactica._"

"I don't think they can understand you, chief."

Tyrol turned to face the approaching form of their air wing boss. "Sorry, sir."

"I'm surry - - sorry, I cannot understand you," Davis stumbled through the foreign tongue. Thinking it might be easier, he decided to write down why he was here and then let the obvious officer read it. _We are here for the coordination of the delivery of relief supplies. We also have a few items that the liaison, Lieutenant Glennan, requested._

Kelly nodded while trying to figure out how to answer. "Who's the liaison been working with?"

"Not sure, sir." Tyrol shrugged his shoulders.

"Get some marines in here to unload this stuff." Kelly handed the small instrument back to Davis. With a wave of the hand, Kelly let the two Terrans know he wanted them with him. Once outside the hanger, Kelly picked up a phone and spoke into it.

A few minutes later Angela came around the corner with another Colonial. Her face brightened immediately when she recognized the two pilots. 'Janes! Davis! How the hell are you!'

'Just fine, sir!' they both answered just as enthusiastically. 'Got a special delivery, compliments of the skipper.'

Angela nodded and followed Davis into the shuttle. Kneeling down, she looked over the transceiver and then the first of the two boxes. When she opened up the second one her eyes widened and a smile cracked her face. 'Bless you, ma'am,' she mumbled through her widening smile.

'Tough here?' Davis asked as he came up behind Angela.

'You have no idea, Ted. You have no - -' she stopped herself before she could finish the ancient expression. Looking up, she saw Hadrian had entered into the shuttle. "Marine." Angela pointed to the containers that would need moving before the shuttle finished her job.

Hadrian nodded and disappeared. 'Davis, remember this,' she continued in a whisper, 'Do _not_ under any circumstances use the traditional name for Terra. It would give away our advantage.'

'Yes, ma'am. I'll let Janes know,' the pilot answered.

"Lieutenant?"

Angela looked, and Davis followed suit. "Uh. . ." she hesitated then indicated the translator. "I need these delivered." Indicating the transceiver, she continued, "This is to go to Admiral Adama's quarters, the rest is mine. You need to be extremely careful with this," she finished as she indicated the transceiver again.

"Yes, ma'am," the marine answered as he gently picked up the piece of electronic equipment. Once the rest of the boxes were removed, Angela placed her hands on both the Terran's shoulders. 'It's good to see you, and nice to actually understand someone once more. Good luck out there.'

'Same here, ma'am. The skipper thinks you've done one hell of a job so far.' Janes smiled.

'I know, but it's nice to hear it from someone I can touch and understand at the same time.' Glancing off to the side she could see the marines just about to leave the hanger. 'Gotta go.'

The two pilots did a quick salute and watched as she walked briskly to catch up with the marines. 'Don't think I could do this. Not being able to understand anyone.' Davis shook his head.

'Same here.' With the delivery taken care of, the two went back to Kelly. _We are here to set up the coordination for the supplies._

"Right," Kelly nodded absently. "The XO is on his way." Sighing at the confusion on the two Terran's faces, Kelly took the translator and repeated his comment then handed it back.

"What is it, Captain?" Tigh asked as he stepped into the hanger.

"Sir, the Terrans are here to set up the coordination for the supplies."

"Soud - - should not take too long," Davis answered as if he could understand them. "Ned - - need large area for first p-placement. . .of supplies."

"Sir, we don't have that here, unless they want to use the starboard pod."

"That's so full of crap right now it'd take just as long to clear it out as to get the supplies delivered, not to mention being short on manpower." Tigh shook his head.

"Huh?"

Before the confusion got any worse, Kelly reached for the translator and relayed the message. _We do not have the space available on board here, but the _Pegasus _should._

The two Terrans nodded in understanding while they continued to watch the two Colonials.

"I'll contact Fisk and tell him that we're going to use the beast." Without waiting for an answer, Tigh turned and marched out of the hanger and back towards the CIC.

"G-go to _Pegasus_ now?" Janes asked slowly.

Kelly nodded while looking at the Terran shuttle. For the first time he realized that it was on wheels. He shook his head at the oddity of it.

oOoOo

Angela followed the marines out of the hanger. They knew where to go, but she could still get lost easily. A short time later, Hadrian had gone in another direction without saying a word, but not before handing back her pda. When they finally reached the corridor she recognized, she smiled then stopped. Rather than being placed directly outisde the Admiral's quarters, the guards were somewhat further down the corridor. She watched as two of the marines continued further down until they reached her cabin. She knew she didn't have to worry about them, she had kicked their asses too many times in the gym. They knew not to touch her stuff.

One of the marines knocked on the door and then opened it up slowly. "Admiral Adama," he continued when he stepped inside, "Lieutenant Glennan wanted this delivered."

"What is it?" Getting up, Bill walked over to the unknown component.

"A transceiver, sir," Angela answered while glancing down at the pda. She took a step inside, "Where do you want it?"

"Office," Adama answered as he turned around. Passing the table, he placed the book he had been reading on it, then went behind his desk. Looking back to check to see the size of the transceiver, he quickly cleared an area and moved to the side as the marine put the electronic component in place.

"I can finish," Angela commented while looking to Adama for confirmation.

Adama nodded while addressing the marines, "You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

Angela turned her attention to the transceiver once the marine was out of the room. Taking advantage of the buffer it came with, she was able to plug it immediately into _Galactica_'s power supply. Once connected, she rebooted the system up and then ran through several diagnostics to make sure everything was working properly. She could feel Adama looking at her. Turning around, she gave him a slight smile to let him know she knew what she was doing. He was leaning against the desk with his arms crossed scrutinizing her every move. This was his ship, and she knew it.

When she was finished, she turned around, "Ready." She could see her pda just on the other side of the desk. Adama followed her eyes then nodded. Reaching back he grasped the small computer and then handed it to Angela. "It's ready, sir. I want to contact the goch just to make sure. I will then show you how to use it."

"Good." Adama nodded while crossing his arms once again.

Turning back around, Angela activated the transceiver then spoke into the super sensitive built in mic. 'Harris, are you there?'

_'Reading you loud and clear, sir!'_

'Good, I'm just checking to see if the transceiver's working properly.' And she disconnected the line.

"What was that all about?" Bill asked with curiosity.

Angela furrowed her brow for a moment, trying to understand what he said. After a moment she shook her head then commented, "Let me show you how to use it. It is fairly simple compared to the systems here."

Adama's eyebrows rose at her statement. "How then?"

Within a few minutes, Adama realized that the new system was simple and easy to use compared to _Galactica_'s systems. He was also glad that he had a direct line to Captain O'Neill. It would make any issues that came up much easier to deal with.

oOoOo

Angela sat upright at the sound of someone knocking on her door. 'Shit!' she cursed as she bolted from the bed while turning on the light. She was late. With a quick jerk she yanked open the small closet and grabbed her workout stuff. For once she was glad that she slept with minimal clothing. 'I'm coming,' she muttered at another knock. The previous day had been long and tiring.

With heart pounding she slipped on her clothes then shoes and grabbed a towel. When she finally opened the door, the marine had just raised his hand to knock once more. He had a look of annoyance on his face.

"Sorry," Angela shrugged her shoulders as she pulled the door closed. "I sleep," she seemed to think that's all that was needed.

He shook his head with a hint of amusement, then indicated the way to the gym.

Once they were around the corner, Baltar moved from his hiding place. "Right on time," he muttered as he crept quietly towards the door. When he reached the door and touched the lock his eyes widened in surprise then quickly narrowed. "Perfect," he muttered as he quickly opened it up. The room was clean, though he could tell she had hurriedly left. The bed was not made. The vice president did a quick scan of the room. He stopped when he found it. With a smirk he walked over and pulled it out of its cradle then quickly tucked it under his jacket.

_Perfect, Gaius. This will help us._

"Later," he whispered as he quietly slipped out of the cabin and closed the door. For a moment he panicked while looking around. He thought he saw someone, but wasn't sure. Finding the corridor empty, he immediately straightened his jacket and turned a corner, taking a round about way towards his lab.

TBC...


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 20  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty_**

Gaeta looked at the reflection in the mirror. Through it he could see Kara up and moving around his incredibly small quarters. Seeing her brought his mind back to the previous evening and how she had kept asking where his "girlfriend" was. He had denied that he had one then, and he continued to. Deep inside, however, he had an odd feeling. It was one he couldn't explain, even to himself.

"I do not have a girlfriend," he muttered while shaking his head.

"Of course not," Kara's voice came from behind him. Focusing on the reflection again, he could see she was already dressed and looking at him with a smile on her face. "So, are you going to the gym?"

"Yeah," he answered while leaving his cramped head and retrieved his workout clothing. When he was ready, they both left the small, but private, quarters and moved towards the gym, still 'arguing' about his personal life. "You know, no one has had any time to devote to anything remotely resembling a private life." He felt like he was attempting to justify his previous evening's actions.

Kara raised her eyebrows while asking, "Are you sure about that?"

Gaeta pushed her against the wall and leaned in while lowering his voice, "You know that is an unspoken rule. It would not be good for word to get out."

She pushed him back, then continued on down the corridor. "But everyone already knows."

"That's not the point, and you know it," he answered while easily catching up with her.

Before she could answer, they had turned another corner and reached their destination. Stepping inside, they watched for a minute or two the informal class. This time Glennan had the marines that had shown up all out in the boxing area and lined up doing set movements. For a few moments they watched the lesson then went over to the weight machines.

The class dismissed sometime during his workout, but some had asked Glennan to stay. She did so, but only for a short time. When Gaeta was, finished he collected his things and left for his quarters.

What the Terran was doing was completely different from anything they had ever known or had been taught. He thought about what she was teaching and finally decided that it would be something good to learn more about over breakfast.

After he was cleaned up he ran into Kara on the way to Glennan's quarters. "What are you doing?" he asked as he brushed past her.

"Nothing," she answered with a smile on her face as she turned and followed the tactical officer.

Instead of having the possibility of incriminating himself, Gaeta remained silent. Soon enough, though, they were standing outside Glennan's cabin.

"Anything you want to ask her?" he asked as he raised his hand to knock. "And if you're wanting to know, I'm going to ask her more about her fighting style."

For a moment, Kara had a thoughtful look on her face then she nodded. "Same here."

When there was no answer after the initial knock Gaeta turned his attention back to Kara, "See if you can find out from one of the marines if Glennan's here."

"Right," the pilot answered and slipped quickly around the corner. Moments later she came back and nodded. "She is. Dugan's sure about it."

Gaeta nodded and knocked again. There was still no answer. Finally he twisted the handle and pulled the door open then stopped in shock. The normally immaculately clean cabin had papers and items thrown all over the deck. Letting his eyes sweep across the room Gaeta found the Terran sitting on her rack holding what looked like a pillow close to her. Anger competed with despair on the Terran's face. "Glennan?" he asked as he took another step into the cabin.

After a moment, Angela looked up and pointed over to the wall. "Left."

For a moment Gaeta was completely confused. When he looked where she was pointing he realized immediately what she had meant. Her pda was not in its cradle. Frowning, the tactical officer turned to look at Starbuck, "Her pda is gone, and I have a good idea who took it."

"Frak me," she muttered while shaking her head.

"Not quite," Gaeta muttered while moving across the cabin to the comm. unit. Picking it up he called Adama's quarters directly.

_"Adama_."

Gaeta took a calming breath before answering. "Sir, Lieutenant Glennan's pda has been stolen."

_"Baltar."_

"Yes, sir."

_"Find him."_

"Yes, sir." Gaeta nodded and placed the receiver back in its cradle then turned to Starbuck. "We need to find Baltar."

"Is there any reason why you knew it was him?" Starbuck asked, her voice already hard with anger.

"Because he had attempted to take it on two separate occations. The second time, there were five witnesses."

"He is soo going to get it," Starbuck fumed then turned around and stormed out of the cabin.

"I go," Angela answered with cold fury. Before Gaeta could do anything, Angela had slipped past him and was closing fast on Starbuck. For a moment he stood there in surprise, then quickly left, closing the door behind him. He caught up with the two very angry women, not quite sure what they were going to do once they met up with the vice president. The first place they checked was his cabin, but it was empty. On the way to the lab Gaeta managed to catch the attention of two marines and had them come with him. If anything was going to happen, he wanted to make sure they were present.

Just as they opened the door to the lab there was a pop and feedback sound coming from the computer speakers.

"What now?" Baltar asked himself. "You said this would work!" he exclaimed as he looked into space while indicating the small computer.

The sound of the Terran's slightly raised voice startled everyone. Pushing between both Colonial officers, the petite woman started a gibberish sounding tirade while pointing to the computer he had been trying to get to work. It became quite obvious to both Gaeta and Thrace that she was cussing the vice president out. Just as well that he didn't understand one bit of it, but her actions were another story. She stormed across the room and yanked the small computer out of the makeshift connection Baltar had created bringing delicate components from the host computer with it.

With the pda now in hand, Glennan calmed down, somewhat. Backing away from Baltar, she started checking it. Her earlier tirade was one thing, this time her voice turned cold while holding the pda up. 'What have you done, you bastard.'

Baltar nervously looked to the two officers and marines, "Please! You've got to help me. I didn't do anything!" he backed up in panic as she came towards him, tossing the pda on the closest table. It landed in with a muted clatter as she slowly neared him. When she came close, he held his hands out in front to protect himself, not realizing his mistake. Glennan grabbed both wrists and squeezed as she brought one hand up and around his back, forcing him to turn around. With a quick kick, Baltar yelped in pain as he fell to his knees.

'You will pay for this,' she whispered menacingly in his ear.

With a sharp jerk, he cried out in pain. "She's killing me! Please you've got to stop her! I'll do anything. Anything!"

Gaeta's eyes widened in shock at Glennan's cruelty and apparent blatant disregard for life. He knew she was beyond fury and had to be stopped, somehow. She had already proved in the gym that it was damn near impossible, but he knew he had to somehow. "We all have to stop her. On my signal I want each of you to hold an arm while I'll pull her back. It could take as many as all of us to stop her." The others nodded.

With a quick move Gaeta came up behind her and grabbed her by the waist and started pulling her back. "Now!" They had to be quick or he'd be injured from her hands or elbows.

'Let me at him! Bastard! Let me go!' Angela cried out while struggling to free herself from her restraints. But they would not let go.

"Angela," Gaeta spoke calmly into her ear. He took a chance and used her first name, hoping it would bring her back around to rational thought. Baltar, once freed of her vice-like grip, crawled away and leaned up the bulkhead, whimpering as he cradled his arm cradled in his lap. After a moment the Terran stopped fighting, but was still breathing hard. Feeling her relax, Gaeta nodded to the marines to let her go. When her hands were free she collapsed and put her face in her hands while weeping.

Gaeta released his hold, but kept one hand on her shoulder. He could easily feel her gasping sobs. "Thrace," he started quietly, "Call the Admiral and tell him what's happened, and that we are both going to escort Lieutenant Glennan back to her cabin."

"What about him?" Starbuck indicated the vice president.

"He's not going anywhere."

"Right," Starbuck nodded while going over to the comm.

"Angela." Gaeta came around and knelt in front of her. "We are going back to your quarters," he said very slowly, not sure if she was in a position to understand anything anymore. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Guest quarters."

"Gaeta, the Old Man wants to see you when we get back," Starbuck said as she came around slowly while keeping her hands in full view.

"Right," he nodded while standing up. "Come," he addressed Angela while holding out his hand. When she finally took it, he pulled her to her feet, all the while making sure she did not have a clear path to the vice president. When they passed the table Angela's hand reached out and snagged the pda and held it close while she tried in vain to control the tears that threatened to fall.

"Hey! What about me?" Baltar called out, pain still evident in his voice. "I can't move my arm!"

"Don't worry, we'll have a medic come," Starbuck answered with sarcasm as she closed the door. "Do not let anyone in or out until Lieutenant Gaeta or the Old Man says otherwise," she ordered the marines.

"Yes, sir," the two answered.

The journey back to Angela's cabin seemed to take forever for all involved. The two Colonial officers had to steer the Terran in the right direction since she was not paying any attention to where she was going. "Can you stay with her?" Gaeta asked quietly when they reached Angela's cabin. "I don't think she's in any condition to do any more damage," he finished as he spun the handle on the door.

"I can," Kara answered while watching the petite Terran closely.

Moving to the side, Gaeta nodded. "Good. I'll be back."

Once the two women were in the cabin and the door shut Gaeta sighed and moved down the corridor to Adama's quarters.

oOoOo

Adama set the comm unit back in its cradle and closed his eyes. The outcome was not what he expected. This was a diplomatic incident and O'Neill needed to know about it. If word got out, the Terrans could easily overwhelm them, added to the fact that four ships still could not use their FTL computers. Picking up the receiver once more, he jabbed a few buttons while waiting. "Laura, something's happened. . .I need you here." When finished he set it back in its cradle then took off his glasses and rubbed his face with his hands.

"What is it?" she asked as she pulled the door closed behind her.

"Baltar was found in his lab trying to hack into the Terran liaison's hand translator."

Laura shook her head. "This is not good." She moved across the room to Bill's office and sat down in one of the chairs.

"No, it's not. We could have a diplomatic incident on our hands here." He hesitated then turned around. "I wanted you here when I contact the Terrans."

"How?" Laura's confusion easily showed on her face.

"The shuttle that came over yesterday brought one of what they call 'subspace transceivers'. It's fairly easy to operate."

"It's here?" Laura got up from the chair and moved around his desk while he moved charts from the shelf behind his desk. Underneath the oversized pieces of paper sat the gleaming piece of advanced equipment. It looked out of place in the well worn decorations of Bill's quarters.

Bill turned back around and retrieved a small piece of paper that had a short list on it. After glancing over it he leaned over and pressed a few buttons on the transceiver in a set sequence. Less than a minute later, the lights across the board shown green. "That's done," he muttered while turning his attention back to his list.

"Bill, have you ever done this before?" Laura asked with some amusement in her voice.

"I wrote it down," he glanced back then turned his attention back to the transceiver once again. "Glennan said the microphone it is equipped with is supersensitive."

Laura nodded, but was still smiling.

"This is Admiral Adama from the _Galactica_. I need to speak with Captain O'Neill," Bill said as he turned his chair around and sat in it.

There was a moments hesitation, then a heavily accented voice on the other end answered, _"Hold, please."_

_"This is O'Neill. Perfect timing, Admiral. I was just about to contact you."_

Adama closed his eyes and leaned his head back. _What now_, he thought.

_"Several pallets of supplies have gone missing."_

"Captain, this is President Roslin. How do you know? I assumed we have received most everything."

_"That's the problem. It's scanned in at the hub destination and scanned out, but never makes it to its intended ship. Madam President, this isn't hurting me, what it is doing is hurting you and the ships they were destined for."_

"Everything is tracked?"

_"Everything."_

"Captain, this is a problem that we've only just become aware of in the last few weeks."

_"Looks like you've got yourselves a black market on your hands."_

A knock at the door drew the two's attention away from the transceiver. "Captain, I wish to continue this later. There's something I have to take care of right now," Bill spoke as he stood up.

_"All right. Admiral,"_ Mair acknowledged him then cut the transmission.

Bill was part way across the room when the door opened, admitting his tactical officer. "Where is he?" he asked as he stopped in front of the younger officer.

"Still in his lab, sir."

"And the liaison?"

"In her cabin. Lieutenant Thrace is with her right now." Gaeta paused before continuing, "Sir, um, I don't know if a medic has been called. In my haste to get Glennan out of there I forgot to do that."

Bill stopped and looked at Gaeta for a moment before answering, "Was he given a life threatening injury?"

"It didn't look like it, sir. He couldn't move his arm."

"I want you to have a medic report to Baltar's Lab." Bill nodded then turned around and left his quarters, leaving both Gaeta and Laura to look into the now empty corridor.

"Yes, sir." Gaeta nodded then turned back to Bill's office and picked up the comm. When he was finished he turned back around and started to leave.

"Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Madam President," Gaeta turned around to address her.

"How is she?" she asked as she got to her feet.

"I'm not sure, ma'am. Lieutenant Thrace is with her right now." He flexed his fingers for a moment before finally turning back around and leaving the Admiral's quarters.

When he reached Angela's quarters he slowly pulled the door open, not really sure what he was going to find. He blinked in surprise at the sight of one of the medics taking Angela's vitals while Kara was sitting at the table and watching.

"What happened?" he asked as he moved over to the CAG.

Kara turned and answered with amusement, but her eyes showed something completely different, "Since Baltar wasn't around, she turned to trying to beat up the ship. Didn't do as well."

"Sir," the medic began packing her equipment. "She's only bruised the bones. It'll be painful for a while. I mixed a mild sedative along with the pain killer. That should help even out her mood swings." Just as she was leaving Kara spoke up again, "Wait!"

"Not necessary, Thrace. One's already on his or her way," Gaeta responded before the medic could. "You're dismissed," he addressed the medic.

"Thank you, sir," she answered then gave a quick salute and left the quarters.

Once the medic had left Angela scooted to the bulkhead and leaned up against it while curling up in a ball. After a moment she uncurled herself and went over to her locker and pulled out some gray clothing. She had not changed at all from her workout clothing, and went to the head to get cleaned up.

When she came out five minutes later the clothing had somehow changed to a green pattern. Nearing one of the walls, she raised her bruised fist and almost struck it again, but this time her heart wasn't into it. Moving back over to the rack, she sat down and closed her eyes. With all that had happened, and the sedative, she felt her brain was scrambled and couldn't even remember the simplest of phrases. "I. . .come. . ." she slowly forced out.

"Do you want me to come?" Kara asked once she realized what Angela really meant.

"No. Thanks, though."

"She's lost."

"More tha you can imagine," Gaeta answered softly.

oOoOo

Adama stepped inside Baltar's lab, noticing that the medic was already there and taking care of the vice president.

"I demand that woman to be removed from the _Galactica_! She is a menace!" Baltar blurted out then hissed in pain when the medic touched his shoulder. "She's ruined my arm! I'll never be able to use it again."

Adama strode over and leaned down. "I've seen a dislocated shoulder before." Not letting the temporarily incapacitated vice president answer, he straightened and walked over to the wall for the comm. unit. "Sergeant Hadrian, I want you to report to the vice president's lab," he said into it then placed it back in its cradle.

"Sir?" the medic asked while standing up.

"Yes?"

"Sir, I need to have him moved to Life Station."

"Have the marines help you," he indicated the two, who, during the time he had arrived, had moved inside the lab.

"Yes, sir," she answered while backing away to give them room to help Baltar to his feet. Along with his immobile arm, he moved with an obvious limp.

For a moment he seem to want to say something, but wisely kept his mouth shut. When he was gone, Adama looked around the lab. There were still thousands of blood samples that needed to be tested, but he wasn't sure if the cylon detector worked at all.

"Sir."

Turning, he saw Hadrian taking a step inside the lab. She had two marines with her. "Sergeant, I want you to catalogue everything here. If there is anything missing I want to know."

"Yes, sir," she answered. "I'll get right on it."

"Good, and until further notice, Baltar is to remain under guard until I or the President say otherwise," he answered. Leaving for his quarters, he shook his head. It was like everything decided to come to a head at the same time.

"So, how is our esteemed vice president?" Laura asked when he stepped back into his quarters. Bill closed the door almost all the way, then moved across to the table she was at. "Lieutenant Glennan dislocated his shoulder and it also looks like she hit his instep pretty hard." He leaned over and gently brushed her cheek with his lips and continued, "But acted like he was mortally wounded."

"You know," she started slowly, "You're going to have to contact Captain O'Neill again."

Bill pulled away and sighed. "I know. This is something I am not looking forward to. Lieutenant Glennan needs to be here. Even with this, I want her to stay."

"Same here," Laura looked up at him for a moment before focusing her attention back to the shelf of books she had been eyeing before Bill had come back.

TBC...


	21. Chapter 21

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 21  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Elly  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-one_**

Gaeta looked through the door and into the now empty corridor. Kara could only stay for so long before she had to return to her responsibilities. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he should already be in CIC. His obvious absence couldn't be helped, besides Adama already knew the reasons well enough.

"Glennan?" he asked as he turned his back to the open door.

"I. . .come. . ." she said slowly as she stood For a moment she seemed unsteady on her feet, but quickly recovered as she moved towards her locker. She grunted in approval as she quickly searched through it looking for something. The hat she pulled out was different from the one she wore when she went before the Quorum. This one was made of soft material with no stiff edges to it. When they stepped out of her quarters, she made it a point to turn around and secure the door. She had learned a painful lesson, one she was not likely to forget.

As she turned back around, he couldn't help but notice her figure. On its own, his mind went high-speed through what it might be like to feel her. _Stop it, Felix!_ he told himself sharply, then forcefully pushed the images off to the side. He had a job to do.

"I. . .we. . .c-come?" Angela shook her head in frustration at her seemingly inability to remember what she recently learned. For a moment she turned, raising her fist again, but before she could throw another punch at the wall in frustration he grabbed hold of her wrist. She spun around - her reflexes fast, fortunately his were faster having pre-empted a second strike. Though Gaeta never remembered how he caught her other hand before it reached the cheek bone it was aiming for. With his superior strength he quickly pushed her against the wall, very aware how easy it would be for her to trip him up. "Calm down," he said softly, lowering his voice so as not to antagonize her even further.

She seemed to want to fight, but eventually the tension drained out of her face leaving bleak despair in its wake. When he loosened his grip, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor. He knew she was in no condition emotionally to see the Admiral, but it needed to happen.

_Why despair_, he wondered as she put her face in her hands.

oOoOo

Adama looked over to the transceiver. He knew he had to contact O'Neill again, but not before he talked to Fisk. The day before, the Commander had seemed willing to use the _Pegasus_'s manpower and extra space to help with the supplies. O'Niell's words, though, were bothering him. If it was true, then the bad black market situation was worse than predicted.

"What is it?" Laura asked as he turned and moved to his office. Reaching over the desk, he grasped the comm device, punching a few buttons as he pulled it towards him. Normally he didn't do it this way, but in this case he didn't want anyone knowing about the conversation unless absolutely necessary.

"This is Admiral Adama. I need to speak with Fisk." He hesitated before continuing, "Lee? Where is Fisk. . .He left you in charge?. . .I want you to find him. And as soon as you do, I want to talk to him." Lowering the comm, he paused before setting it back in its cradle.

"What was that about?" Laura asked.

Glancing back, he saw she was still seated at the table.

"Something's not right." He shook his head, moving back across the room.

"It's that 'something' you won't discuss with me, isn't it?" she teased.

"Not really. I found out about a black market problem and now Fisk is nowhere to be found. Lee's gone looking for him."

"Yes, well if there are answers - I'm sure Apollo will find them. His people know each shuttle's destination."

"That's what's bothering me." Before he could say anything else, the door opened all the way to reveal a marine standing in front of Gaeta and the Terran liaison. The petite woman's face was completely devoid of emotion and her shielding was very tight against any intrusion while her uniform resembled the fatigues he wore while on Kobol. One of her hands was bandaged up. Shifting back around, Bill maneuvered to his desk where he had left the transceiver on, but disconnected. Reaching for his notes he caught a glimpse of Laura making room for Glennan. The Terran refused and stood at attention. For a moment he felt like she seemed ready to find out her fate. Gaeta's slightly worried glance made him think differently. _Something must have happened_, he thought to himself.

When the line was open once again he moved back around to the front of his desk and spoke, "This is Admiral Adama, I need to speak with Captain O'Neill again."

_"Admiral, are you calling to continue the discussion from earlier?"_

"No, Captain. This is completely different. This is a situation that needs to be discussed and preferably resolved before it gets blown out of proportion. We don't want to give the accusations and wild rumors a chance to damage this further."

_"All right. . ."_ Mair answered slowly. _"What is it?"_

"On two separate occasions our vice president has attempted to take Lieutenant Glennan's property."

"Three," Laura called out.

Bill looked at Laura in confusion, "Three, Madam President?"

"I'll explain it, Admiral," Laura finished.

"Three," Bill acknowledged then continued. "This morning was different. He was able to take her hand translator. He was found attempting to hack into it when a couple of my officers and Glennan found him. In what my officers saw as a fit of rage, she physically removed it from him, injured him in the process." Glancing over to Angela, he saw her head bowed, acceptance seemingly translated into resignation. "This entire incident is the vice president's fault and he will have to personally deal with the consequences of his actions. What Baltar did is not the actions of an entire culture, I do hope you understand," he finished on what he hoped was a plea that it wasn't entirely Angela's fault. Baltar may have started it all, but she definitely finished it.

_"I see,"_ she finally answered. _"Is she present?"_

"Yes, Captain," Bill nodded.

_'Lieutenant Glennan?'_

Angela's head whipped up, and for a moment a hint of something flashed across her face before disappearing behind that mask of calm she cultivated as her back straightened. 'Yes, ma'am,' she answered crisply.

_'Has Admiral Adama and their President tried the MRE's yet? I sent some over in the gedunk box with a note attached to them.'_

'No, ma'am.' Angela shook her head. 'With. . .with all that's happened. . .I forgot.'

_'Glennan, I want you to retrieve two of the MRE's. Adama has already given you permission to bring them.'_

Angela hesitated before answering, 'Do you want me to retrieve two for them now, ma'am?'

_'Yes.'_

_"Admiral, Lieutenant Glennan has what we call meals ready to eat in her cabin. I wanted you to see and try them so you would know what the first supplies are. I would like for you to let her get them."_

"That's fine," Adama nodded while glancing over to Laura.

_'Glennan, I want you to retrieve two of the MRE's. Adama has already given you permission to bring them.'_

'Aye, aye, ma'am," Angela nodded and turned on her heal and left the room.

_"Is she gone?"_

"For now," Adama answered.

_"Admiral. . .I had hoped she would be well suited to this task. I'm sorry that she wasn't. I will begin the process of having Lieutenant Glennan replaced by another officer better suited for the job."_

"No!" Laura said sharply.

"I agree, sir," Gaeta spoke up for the first time.

"Why is that Lieutenant?" Adama asked while moving over to his tactical officer.

"Because, sir. Vice President Baltar may have been the one to start this whole mess, but she finished it. There were, not including today, three incidents. Two of those had at least five witnesses present." Gaeta glanced over to Laura then back to Adama.

_"So, what do you want me to do?"_ Mair sighed.

"Give her another chance. Plus the marines will not be happy if their class gets canceled before it even got a chance to start." For a moment a wry smile played across Bill's face before it disappeared. "There is something else, Captain. For some time we've been trying to find a way to have him removed from the vice presidency for extenuating circumstances. Glennan has done an invaluable service to us. When he is sufficiently recovered, Baltar will be removed from the _Galactica_ permanently. And if circumstances warrant it, even the vice presidency."

'Sir?' Angela stepped back inside, carrying small packages. Approaching the two Colonial leaders, she each handed them one.

"Self heating," Laura muttered as she turned it over and examined hers. Suddenly she blinked her eyes in surprise. "Captain? I can read the instructions."

_"Yes, Ma'am. I made sure of that. What would be their use if you didn't know what to do with it?"_ Mair asked rhetorically with a smile in her voice.

Laura closed her eyes and sighed, "You have done so much for us. How could we ever be able to repay you for what you've done?"

_"To be prosperous. Disasters have happened many times on Terra and the strongest countries have always leant a helping hand to the poorer nations."_

The comm unit buzzed during a pause. "Fisk?" Laura asked quietly as Bill moved past her. He didn't answer, but went on to take the call over near his rack. "Adama," he answered while sitting down.

_"Dad, Fisk is dead,"_ Lee answered softly.

"Frak," Adama muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Who else knows?"

_"I don't know. I went into his quarters by myself."_

_Why me_? Bill thought to himself. This was something he did _not_ want to hear.

_"There's something else. . .Commander Fisk had at least one package that was intended to go to the Gemanon Traveler."_

"I see." Bill sighed before continuing, "Captain O'Neill told me that everything is tracked. She reported to us that several pallets never made it to their intended destinations. Listen," he looked around for a moment before turning his attention back to Lee, "I want you to see what you can find out. Also, see what you can find out about Fisk's death as well. Do it quietly."

_"Yes, sir."_

Bill placed the comm unit back in its cradle then noticed something that had been knocked on the floor. Leaning down, he picked it up and put it back on the small table where it came from. Getting up he moved back to the other side of his quarters. Glennan was standing beside his desk with her head down. He glanced over to Gaeta, hoping his tactical officer could understand what was being said. The younger officer shook his head.

_Frak, now I have to appoint someone to command the _Pegasus he thought. "Why now," he murmured shaking his head then raised up quickly when he heard O'Neill. The Terran captain's voice had developed a sharp edge then softened somewhat near the end. When she finished, Glennan's face transformed from resignation to shock. Once the line was disconnected Angela turned around and faced him. "I. . .come?" she asked while indicating the door.

"Go," Bill answered, correcting the obvious mistake.

Angela nodded while repeating, "I go?"

Bill nodded while turning his attention to Gaeta, "You're dismissed."

"Uh, sir?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want me to make sure she's all right?"

Before answering Bill asked his own question. "I noticed the bandage, was that because of Baltar?"

A smile flashed across Gaeta's face before disappearing. "No, sir. She. . .um. . .took her frustrations out on the _Galactica _since Baltar wasn't available. Medic said the bones were bruised, that's all."

"Lieutenant, make sure she's settled, then see to your duties."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta saluted then turned on his heel and exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Bill, I found out from O'Neill why Lieutenant Glennan reacted the way she did with Baltar and in here."

"Which is?" Bill pulled out one of the chairs at the table and sat down.

"She has a temper that can be cataclysmic when it is set off with the right, or wrong, trigger. Because of that she has what O'Neill calls a black mark on her record."

"Glennan probably thought her future was finished."

"That sounds about right." Laura sighed while closing her eyes.

"Commander Fisk is dead."

Laura's eyes flew open. "What! How?"

"That's what I want to know. I asked Lee to look into the matter quietly. He seems to think it's tied into the missing supplies." Bill hauled himself to his feet and went back over to his office. Once again, he picked up the comm and dialed the _Pegasus_ directly. "This is Adama, I want Captain Garner to see me." He disconnected the line before the other had even a chance to answer.

"Who will be in command of the ship?" Laura turned to look at Bill.

"Lee. He's acting XO, and with Fisk now gone, he's the CO until I can get someone permanently in place."

Laura glanced to the door for a moment before continuing, "I think it would be good to have Glennan get another hand translator. I would think she would also jump at the chance to be able to at least communicate with everyone."

Bill thought about it for a moment before answering, "I can also send new instructions to Agathorn. I want to see what he can find out about Terra and why they seem to be in this defensive posture."

oOoOo

Angela looked around her cabin, still in shock with what just happened. Of all things, she never expected to be told that she would be staying. Shaking her head she looked back around to the mess she created in her heated anger. Slowly, she started picking up the various items and carried them over to the - - no her - - she corrected herself, table. Once she got everything off the deck she would go through and organize it. In the middle of her cleaning up she felt her stomach growl and stopped to think. She hadn't eaten since yesterday.

Shrugging her shoulders, she went over to the gedunk box and rummaged through it. There were several MRE's that her CO had sent, along with all sorts of Terran snacks. Pulling out one that she knew was better, she opened it up and let it heat while she went back to organizing her mess. After a minute she turned her attention back to it then pulled it open, careful of the escaping steam. Once cooled sufficiently, she quickly ate it then tossed the container in the trash. Taking a deep breath, she went back to her pda. She had been so far beyond anger that she never really checked to see what was wrong with it. All she knew was that it didn't work.

Pressing the power button, she waited for it to boot up. 'Good, at least it's not totally fried and it can turn on,' she commented as she pulled the host computer's components that had remained attached when she yanked it out. What showed on the screen immediately told her everything she needed to know. 'Damn; error.' When it finally registered that the hard drive had been wiped she lowered her head. 'Oh no. What did I do? The Captain was right, I had no right to do what I did.'

Turning the pda off, she got up and went over to the shelf behind her rack and pulled out her rosary necklace. Not even bothering to find someplace that was more comfortable she sunk to her knees and closed her eyes while fingering the necklace. When finished she got to her feet and put the necklace back where she found it then turned around. Angela jumped in surprise seeing Gaeta standing there with a slightly guilty look on his face.

oOoOo

Baltar sat on one of the examination tables while cradling his limp arm. "I demand to be treated immediately!"

"Sir, there's no need to yell. I can hear you easily enough," a medic arrived pushing a tray towards the table. He glanced at the two marines standing against the wall then back to the vice president. "Now," he started. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Problem? Problem! I can't move my arm! That's the problem! I'm the Vice President and I - -"

"Sir, I don't need a litany, all I asked was what was wrong," the medic interrupted with an edge to his voice. "Now, you can't move your arm?" he asked as he moved towards the table.

"Of course I can't move my arm. Can't you see?" Baltar angrily answered while indicating his arm.

"This may hurt. Tell me if it's too much. If so, I'll get you something for it." Coming closer he gently touched the back of Baltar's shoulder. "You have a dislocated shoulder, sir."

"Of course I do! I could have told you that!"

"Then why didn't you?" the medic answered angrily crossing his arms.

Baltar opened then closed his mouth as the medic turned to the tray and started prepping a sedative so the procedure would not be as painful.

"Where's Cottle anyway?" Baltar complained.

"Busy. Now, could you please wait while I get this ready, sir."

"No! I demand to be treated now! I'm tired of this!" Baltar huffed.

The medic looked at the sedative he was preparing then shrugged his shoulders. He set it down in the tray then walked around. Without warning he grabbed Baltar's arm and with a sharp jerk, popped the shoulder back in place.

"Now," he asked after Baltar stopped his shrieking, "Mr. Vice President, would you like to have the sedative I was prepping?"

oOoOo

_This is Playa Palacios from the Colonial Gang reporting for D'Anna Biars. The distribution of supplies is going on schedule with the _Rising Star _being next to receive support. There are also four ships whose FTL drives are still being worked on by technicians from the _Galactica _and_ Pegasus_. By best estimates from the technicians they say the ships should be repaired with the next day or two. The repairs on_ Colonial One _will take several weeks before it will be flight worthy again._

_Vice President Baltar was injured in his laboratory on board the _Galactica_. Contacts within Life Station have revealed that his shoulder has been dislocated. So far no one has stated how it happened._

_One last thing before I finish. D'Anna Biars, who's voice you normally hear, is gravely ill in _Galactica_'s Life Station. The same contact mentioned that Dr. Cottle has requested support from the Terran hospital ship _Mercy. _D'Anna's condition is critical and she is on full life support. We ask that you include her in your prayers and thoughts for a speedy recovery. We need everyone if we are to survive._

_This is Playa Palacios, signing off._

TBC...


	22. Chapter 22

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 22  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: None  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

This has not been beta'ed, all mistakes are my bad.

**_Chapter Twenty-two_**

Gaeta looked at the door as he closed it behind him. He had interrupted her in the middle of something, but she didn't seem embarrassed, only surprised. All he had wanted to do was to make sure that she was all right, and wasn't going to try to hurt herself again. At least everything was off the deck. He could tell Angela had been in the process of organizing it, before she was distracted, so she could put her things back where they were before her rampage. Just before he left, she had opened up her computer and pressed a few keys. In a couple of moments music he had never heard before came through small speakers. From there she went back over to her rack and laid down, holding onto whatever it was she had been earlier in the day.

After looking around the corridor, he turned towards CIC. He really needed to be there some time ago. With all that had happened he never even thought about eating breakfast. As he moved down the corridor he suddenly remembered the strategy book the Admiral had loaned him several days ago. Like this morning's breakfast, he hadn't really had the time or energy to study it for several days. When he reached CIC he decided that he had to return it. There was just too much for him to do.

"It's about time you showed up," Kelly commented when he stepped down to the center section of the nerve center of the massive war ship.

"I've been busy, and yes the Admiral knows."

Kelly came over and lowered his voice, "Do you know anything about what happened to the Vice President? We heard it over the wireless that he's in Life Station."

Gaeta let a smile flit across his face before it disappeared.

"You _do_ know," Kelly's eyes widened as his own smile grew.

"Maybe. . ."

"I know you know what happened," Kelly insisted.

"His arm was dislocated and it was his own fault." Gaeta shrugged his shoulders and turned like he was disinterested in the whole mess.

"Fine, I'll find out from someone else," Kelly rolled his eyes as he went back over to his station.

As Gaeta moved across the room he turned his attention back to the smooth running of the once again Colonial Flag Ship. Glancing down from his current spot, he noticed for the first time Billy's presence. The President's aide was standing in front of Dee's station trying to get her to smile. Earlier in the week when he was over on the _Pegasus_ she was very snippy and seemingly hard to deal with. When word came down that he would be all right she had slowly calmed down. Just as she started to smile she shooed him away. "Sir?" she called, looking directly to Gaeta.

"What do you have?" he asked as he moved around towards her station.

"Sir, word from the _Pegasus_. Captain Garner is on his way."

Gaeta glanced to Billy then back to Dee. "Notify the Admiral."

"Yes, sir," she answered.

Once back at his station Gaeta finally went through the checklist of what he needed to do before his shift was finished.

"The XO's left you a lot of stuff to deal with," Kelly mumbled as he walked by.

"I can see that," Gaeta grumbled. _Not again. I've already got too much to do, and now this?_ he complained to himself. _Why can't he do this himself? _

oOoOo

Chief Engineer Barry Garner walked briskly down the corridor, none too happy about being pulled away during the middle of some much needed maintenance on the _Pegasus_'s engines. A year's worth of solid moving and jumping did not leave much in the way of down time for the engines. Looking around the old style corridors he had a fleeting suspicion that the _Galactica_'s engines were in just as much in need of the same maintenance. What surprised him was the lack of crew moving around the ship. She was definitely understaffed.

Each battlestar, he knew, was set up in roughly the same configuration, but he knew could still get lost easily. Eventually he followed the marines guides around a corner to a door that was sunken down several steps. Outside were two guards. It made him wonder if it was as bad over here as it was on the _Pegasus_ when they found the fleet. Once ushered into the Admiral's quarters he realized the guard was for the President. He had no idea who it was, he had been too busy with the engines to bother either way. She was sitting on the couch watching everything with a look of interest. "Sir, you were wanting to see me?" he asked after saluting.

Adama didn't say anything while letting his dark blue eyes bore into the engineer. He seemed to hesitate then make a decision. "I've seen all I need," he answered.

"Sir?"

"Tell me, Garner, when was the last time you been to CIC?"

"Sir, you want the truth?"

Adama nodded.

"I don't want it, sir." Garner shook his head.

The Admiral's eyes narrowed slightly before he answered, "What do you know?"

"That Fisk is dead. That's all, sir. You know the rumor mill is the fastest thing in the galaxy."

Bill turned his attention to one of the guards that had brought the engineer. "Escort Captain Garner back to the hanger."

"Yes, sir." The marine snapped to attention and saluted. Turning to Garner she continued, "If you will follow me, sir?"

Once they were gone Laura spoke for the first time, "That was quick."

"I've seen all I needed. Garner is not the one for the job. Not only is he completely uninterested in command, he's more worried about the state of the _Pegasus_'s engines than the people on board." Bill moved to the couch and sat down beside her with a sigh.

"What about Apollo? He's already there?" Laura placed her hand on his leg.

"I know he's already there, but he's too busy right now to be both CO and investigating Fisk's death. We can't rule out the possible connection to the black market either." Reaching down, he let their fingers intertwine then glanced to the side. The picture that Tyrol's deck gang scrounged up of him with Lee and Zack caught his attention for a moment. Both events seemed an eternity ago, literally and figuratively.

"How old was Apollo when that was taken?"

Bill glanced back to see that she was looking at the same picture. "Around 10 or so. Seems like it's been forever since then."

"And Zack?" she asked tentatively.

"It's all right, Laura." He reached over with his other hand and cupped her cheek. "He was about 8."

"I know." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you have any ideas about who you'll put in command of the _Pegasus_?"

"Some. I have to think it through first."

"While you're thinking about it, I need to get some more work done." She smiled as she felt him kiss her temple. As she got up she straightened her jacket then looked for her shoes. Once they were on, she turned back around and leaned over to give him a kiss while smiling.

When she was gone Bill looked at the door for a few minutes thinking about what he was about to set into motion. Once he did this nothing would ever be the same. But it had to be done. They still had too much work and not enough people. He eventually got up, went over to his office comm, and had Tigh report to him.

When Saul showed up the colonel had a slightly smug look on his face.

"How much did you leave him?" Adama asked as he moved back into the living area.

"As much as I could get away with," the XO answered sounding pleased.

Adama nodded. "I'm not sure how much has come over here with the rumor mill."

"About what, sir?"

"Fisk is dead."

"Frak," Tigh looked down for a moment. "Screws everything up doesn't?" he asked.

"If not handled correctly."

Tigh turned his attention back to Adama before speaking, "You've got someone in mind?"

Adama moved back over to his desk before answering, "I had _Pegasus_' chief engineer over. He's not the one for the job so I need to get someone else in place. Not all is bad, though Fisk's death has caused the timetable to be moved up substantially."

"What about Lee? He's already over there and acting XO."

"He's too busy, and he's not ready for full command yet. I asked him to look into Fisk's death and the possible black market connection between the two. Fisk was found with at least one container that was supposed to go to the _Gemanon Traveler_."

"Are you sure about what you're going to do?"

"Only one way to know, and that is to implement it." Just as Tigh was turning around Adama continued, "I'm sending you over to _Pegasus_. You'll be her acting CO until everything calms down. Lieutenant Gaeta will take your place here."

"So that's how you're going to work it," Tigh mumbled as he turned back around. "How long have you been grooming Gaeta to take a more active roll in command?"

"Don't tell me you haven't seen the signs, Saul. You've known for some time that I've been getting him ready. You have too," Adama pointed out.

_Busted_, Tigh thought while grinning. "And Kelly? Captain Kelly does outrank Lieutenant Gaeta."

Adama shook his head while leaning against his desk. "He'd never make it. Kelly is not the type of person cut out to be a commander." Adama moved back around to the other side of his desk and started going through some papers. "When I promote him, I'll have to bump him up."

Tigh moved over to sit down in one of the office chairs available. "Do you think Gaeta suspects anything yet?" What the XO had seen was just the tactical officer's grumbling over the extra workload.

"No." Adama sat down once he found the papers he was looking for. "And don't tell him either." Looking up, he finished, "You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Tigh got up and left Adama's quarters and headed back to CIC. He only wanted to see how Gaeta was handling the extra workload, he kept telling himself. He stopped just inside the threshold to watch. So far it seemed to be running smoothly. As he moved farther inside the tactical officer noticed him. Something flashed across the younger officer's face before it disappeared beneath the calm exterior he used. As he stepped down into the CIC, Gaeta moved over to him. Before the younger officer could hand the duties back to him, Tigh spoke, "I'm only here for a short time, Lieutenant."

Gaeta's face fell before he had a chance to look away. "Permission to speak freely, sir?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, what's on your mind, Lieutenant?"

"This is too much work, sir. I --"

Gaeta's comments surprised him. Tigh interrupted the younger officer before he could finish, "Then delegate, Lieutenant." He left before Gaeta could say anything more, this time with a smug grin on his face.

oOoOo

"You know, we can't keep doing this," Laura commented as she stepped inside Bill's quarters carrying several folders.

Bill got up and took the folders from her, "But we have to for now. The possible scandal could easily end both our careers." Placing them down on the table, he pulled her to him and snaked his arms around her waist.

"I know," she nodded then laid her head against his shoulder. She was quiet for about a minute before she asked, "Have you made any decisions with the _Pegasus_ yet?"

"Yes." Bill pulled back and kissed her. "I'll be sending Tigh over."

"You do know, that leaves his position open. What are you going to do with that?"

"Already have that covered." Letting her go he drew her over to the couch then sat down. She joined him then let her free hand play with the clasps on his uniform. He grabbed her wandering hand before it could do anything and continued, "I'll promote Gaeta. He's smart, and has a good head on his shoulders. He'll go far." Bill glanced down to her hands while letting a smile flit across his face. "Too much to do right now."

"What about Glennan? She does need a new translator," Laura asked.

Bill released Laura's hands then removed his glasses to rub his eyes. "Don't remind me," he muttered. "The earliest I can see having her go over is tomorrow."

"A day and a half not able to really communicate. That's a long time, Bill," Laura leaned back against the leather cushions.

"I know, but it's the best I can do right now."

"Let me know when the trip is scheduled."

Bill turned towards Laura with a questioning glance. "Why?"

"I feel it is necessary for me to go over and speak to O'Neill personally. I want to apologize for what Baltar did."

"I don't think that's wise, Laura." Bill shook his head. If anything did happen to her then they would have a mad man in the office. That was something he did not want to have happen.

"Don't worry. I'll have my marines with me."

"I still don't like it," Bill shook his head.

"Bill," she sighed, "You do take your orders from me."

"And my duty is to make sure you're safe," he countered.

"Then hand pick the guards?" Laura shrugged her shoulders. She was determined to go over and show that they weren't all like Baltar.

"You're not making this any easier, you know that?" Bill muttered.

"Bill, you know I'm right. Do I need to make this an executive order?"

Bill sighed in resignation, "I'll do it. Doesn't mean I like it, which I don't, but I'll do it."

Laura smiled and leaned towards him, "I'll be fine, don't worry."

oOoOo

Baltar limped slowly out of Life Station. The sedative did little to ease the painful swelling his dislocated shoulder had created. Looking back, he noticed Cottle deep in discussion with someone else, apparently another doctor. The unknown doctor was scanning a medical report. Baltar stopped, hoping to catch some of the conversation before he was in the corridor. The only word he did catch dealt with Valerii before one of the marines pushed him out and into the corridor.

_Sharon Valerii is still alive, along with her child._

Baltar glanced to the side, knowing what he would see. _I know_, he mouthed.

_Her child is the future._

With the predicament he was in, Baltar for once, elected not to answer the seductress that walked beside him. Soon enough, he found himself standing in Adama's quarters. Laura was there standing beside the Admiral as if she were holding court.

"Vice President Baltar," she started. "Because of your actions earlier today you will not be allowed back into your laboratory. You are ordered to pack all non military and approved hardware and leave this ship. You have a choice of any of the other Colonial vessels to reside in."

"I didn't do anything!" he protested once again. "Not even with the nuclear weapon!" he blurted out.

"Then we should find all the components in your lab," Adama countered evenly then lowered his voice as he continued. "As of right now, everything in your lab and quarters are being inventoried. If anything is missing you will be held personally responsible for it."

"This is ludicrous! There are things within the lab that are of sensitive nature. Only someone trained such as I should handle it."

"Then I will have Lieutenant Gaeta look it over." Adama glanced to the two guards and continued, "I want you to escort Vice President Baltar back to his quarters so he can pack."

"Yes, sir!" one marine saluted smartly while the other moved behind Baltar to get him to move in the right direction. When the door was closed Bill turned back to Laura and asked, "You mentioned earlier that he had attempted to take Glennan's property three times. The only ones I know of were on the _Galactica_."

"Right," Laura nodded. "The last time was before the Quorum. He tried by stating it is networked."

oOoOo

"Delegate," Gaeta mumbled as he watched Tigh leave CIC. He gazed at the comm for a minute, debating with himself if he should do what he was thinking about doing. With the XO's added duties combined with what he already had, he was completely overloaded and dangerously close to burning out. "What the hell," he muttered and picked it up. "Darin, I need you to report to CIC." Not waiting for an answer he hung it up and went back over to the checklist he was slowly working through. With all that was on it, he didn't even have time to sit down.

When she arrived she saluted smartly, "Sir."

"Lieutenant, I want you to take over the watch for now." _There, it's done,_ he thought to himself.

"Sir?" she asked as her eyes nearly popped out. "A-are you sure?"

"Very. I can't take care of the XO's duties and tactical at the same time." He hesitated then tried to encourage her. "You'll be fine. If you have any questions I'll be here."

She nodded while finally announcing, "I-I have the watch," and moved over to the table he normally gravitated over towards when he was running the ship. For a while he glanced over to her position ever so often to make sure she was all right. Heather Darin was one of his better subordinates and the one most qualified to be at tactical without him having to lean over her shoulder for every little thing. Her time at tactical would be good experience for her.

"Sir?"

Gaeta moved to stand in front of Dee's station. "Yes?"

"The Admiral wants to talk to you," she answered while handing him one of the headsets.

"Yes, sir?" he asked as he plugged the earpiece in his ear.

_"Lieutenant, I need you to report to the Vice President's lab."_

"Sir, is there a reason why?" he asked while closing his eyes.

_"I'm not sure about that just yet. Things might be missing. You'll be filled in when you get there."_

"Yes, sir," he answered then removed the earpiece and handed it back to Dee. "I'll be in Dr. Baltar's lab if you need me," he announced to the crew on duty. Before he left he stopped by Heather, "You'll be fine. If you need me, you know where you can find me."

"Yes, sir." She swallowed nervously.

When he reached Baltar's lab Gaeta found that he wasn't needed for once. The marines along with Hadrian were taking great pains to make sure everything was catalogued. Once that was finished she told him they would start checking off everything to make sure all was there. It was a longer process, but one the marines felt comfortable with given the nature of what was in the lab. The vice president's cabin was something different. The marines only made sure that Baltar packed what little clothing he had with him then escorted him out and towards the hanger. The vice president was not pleased at the turn of events and was still protesting loudly about his treatment.

When the group was gone, Gaeta called Adama's quarters directly and gave his report over the phone instead of in person. Seeing everything was being taken care of without the tactical officer's physical presence, Adama released him from the inventory and sent him back to the CIC to continue with his duties.

Colonel Tigh finally showed up many hours later and took his duties back.

"I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't able to get to everything." Gaeta closed his eyes, feeling defeated. Several times he had to take over from Heather when some issues she had never faced before had cropped up suddenly.

"You're shift is over, Lieutenant." Tigh gave him a knowing glance. Looking over, he saw that Gaeta had pulled one of his own subordinates to take over tactical for the time being, and smiled. She was just as exhausted as Gaeta was. Other members of the second shift were now showing up and taking over from the primary group.

"Yes, sir," Gaeta answered while saluting. When Tigh returned it, he left the CIC. He was so tired he didn't pay attention to where he was going. Out of surprise he found himself standing in front of Angela's quarters and knocking. "How did I get here?" he muttered to himself. It was too late though, he had knocked and the door was opening up in front of him. Angela had a guarded look on her face, but she opened the door up further and let him enter. He couldn't help but notice she was wearing the same thing from earlier. "Are you all right?" he asked slowly.

She looked at him in confusion then squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

Hearing strange voices Gaeta looked around, not knowing where it was coming from. Moving to the table he realized it was coming from her computer. She was playing some sort of video on it, and the language used was the one she spoke. All he could tell was that it was some sort of military footage, but different. He quickly realized it was some sort of military video that was created for entertainment purposes. He knew he was right when she stopped it and pressed a few keys on the keyboard. When it started back up there was text at the bottom of the scenes in his language. Pulling the chair out, she picked up a notebook and something to write with then sat back down and propped her feet up on the table.

He never did make it to the end of the video, he was too exhausted.

Gaeta woke suddenly. He found himself slouched in a chair with a blanket covering him. _Where am I?_ he asked himself groggily as he sat up. Looking around the very dimly lit room he finally remembered. _I must still be in Glennan's quarters_, he thought. While standing up he caught the blanket before it fell to the floor and draped it over the table. Turning around he stumbled over an unseen object and started working his way to the door. He didn't quite make it. He felt a hand grab one of his arms and he was quickly forced against the wall.

The shock of the sudden attack shook off any sleep that might have lingered. The grip eventually loosened enough for him to turn around. Angela was holding him against the wall, but she wasn't fully awake, she was on what the pilots called autopilot, either that or she was still asleep.

"Wake up, Glennan," he said in the most normal tone he could muster.

The moment intelligence showed back up in her eyes, she quickly released him and turned around. "Go," she said quietly.

Gaeta nodded and left, trying not to think of what he saw.

TBC...


	23. Chapter 23

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 23  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: None  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-three_**

Gaeta stepped inside the gym while rubbing his sore neck. He was never really able to get any more sleep when he reached his quarters. The incident early that morning really bothered him, especially Glennan's reactions even when asleep. She was fast and she was silent when she felt the need. Not to mention what she slept in, or better yet, how much she slept in, which wasn't much. What he could not stop thinking about, though, was her reactions. It was like she had not remembered he was there.

He dropped his towel on a bench and just made it over to the weight training machines when Kara's voice came from behind him. "Where were you last night?"

"None of your business," he muttered as he situated himself on the machine. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"Well, you were nowhere to be found last night," she answered while leaning over his shoulder.

"Do I report to you?" he asked quietly.

"Don't get all snippy." Kara backed up a few paces. Surprised at his reaction. "No big deal." Instead of staying within the weight training area, she went over to the punching bag.

A short time later he came by and held the bag in place while she continued to pound on it. "What changed your mind?" she asked between jabs. Gaeta shook his head, "I didn't get everything finished yesterday."

Kara backed away and wiped her face with the back of her gloved hand, "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"Sir?"

The two officers hesitated then turned their attention towards the voice.

"Sir, I heard about what happened yesterday. We got the message about the class, but. . ."

"What is it, soldier?" Kara asked.

"Will she be all right? I heard Glennan's hand was injured."

Kara glanced over to Gaeta for a second before turning her attention back to the marine. "The bones were bruised, that's all. I don't think it will hinder her that much."

The marine nodded then saluted. "Sir."

When returned he turned around and went over to a small group of gathered marines.

"Isn't she normally here by this time?" Kara asked while retrieving her towel. Turning back around she noticed Gaeta had not moved from his position beside the punching bag.

"Yeah," Gaeta commented, finally moving towards the towel he brought. Leaving the room, he went to get cleaned up and then breakfast. The marine's comments about Angela bothered him. Without her pda she could get lost on board the _Galactica_ too easily. It didn't help that stray images were beginning to pop up in his mind. Each time that happened, he had to forcefully push them off to the side.

Soon, he found himself in front of her quarters. For a moment he wondered why she was taking notes on the video she was watching. He promptly forgot about it when he realized the door did not open after his initial knock. When she didn't answer a second time he started getting concerned that she might not be there, but lost. Finally, he decided to open the door. "Glennan?" he asked as he pulled it open, surprised to find it was not locked. Taking a step inside, he saw her sitting on her rack cradling something in her hands. Glancing around, he idly noticed the blanket draped across the table where he left it the night before.

Taking a tentative step forward he looked to her hands and noticed it was one of those prepackaged meals Captain O'Neill had talked about the day before. "Glennan?" he asked, trying to get her attention. When she finally looked up, a flash of something close to either guilt or embarrassment crossed her face before disappearing behind another flash, but this one was of pain. Gaeta hesitated for a moment, realizing just how hard it was to get her to understand what he was asking. "Come," he indicated the door at the same time.

Looking back to him she shook her head then turned her attention to opening the package she held. Angela winced again as she struggled to open it. She let out a yelp when her bruised hand lost its grip and hit the bulkhead. Several unintelligible words then came out in a string as she leaned over, holding her injured hand. The package now forgotten.

_Great_, Gaeta closed his eyes. This was not good. Taking a few purposeful strides across the room, he grasped her arm and pulled her off the rack. "You're going to life station to have that hand looked at," he commented. She resisted for a minute, but only halfheartedly. "Come on," he pulled her to the door and out into the corridor. At the last moment he stopped and pushed the door closed.

"What happened here?"

Gaeta turned around and found Thrace standing there in her flightsuit. She was looking at Terran liaison who was now holding her bandaged hand.

"She hit the bulkhead by accident."

Kara looked up quickly and commented, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, because I saw it happen." Gaeta brushed past her and took Angela's arm to get her moving again. Angela shrugged it off, giving him a look that warned him to back off. He raised his hands slightly and took a quick step back. "Life Station," he said calmly, not wanting to antagonize her any more than she was already.

"You're in dangerous territory, Gaeta," Starbuck said softly with a glint of humor in her eyes.

"Don't you think I already know that?" he answered just as softly. "Make sure she follows," he finished as he indicated the direction they were to go.

Angela gave him a slightly sullen look but followed him. The only way to get to Life Station was to pass by the memorial. With what she knew now, Angela could only look at it in sympathy. She had a better understanding of what the Colonials had gone through from what she had learned from Gaeta.

When they stepped inside both Gaeta and Thrace were shocked to see and feel the overall change within the entire department. It was still Life Station, but the men and women did not seem as stressed as they had been leading up to the Terrans finding them. One of the Colonial techs came up to them, not sure why the group had come. "Sir?" she asked, looking at the two.

"I'm all right, it's Lieutenant Glennan's hand."

Angela stepped forward, raising her bandaged hand that was now beginning to swell.

As she was brought over to an examination table Gaeta leaned over towards Starbuck, "When are you going out on CAP?"

"As soon as I'm finished here. I've got some time." She shrugged her shoulders. They turned their attention back to Angela when they heard her gasp in pain.

"Looks like I'm going to have to x-ray your hand," the tech stated once the bandages were removed. Her hand had developed a rather large and ugly bruise. When she looked up Angela looked at her in confusion.

"Frak, you can't understand, can you?" she groaned.

"At least not yet," Gaeta answered.

"Sir?" the tech turned to face the tactical officer in confusion.

"She's been in the process of learning our language. Anything more than simple conversation is beyond her abilities," he answered then indicated that she needed to continue.

"Right," she sighed then thought of the smattering of Terran words she had learned while dealing with the visiting doctors and nurses. 'Uh. . .x-ray,' she pointed to Angela's hand, not quite sure she got the term right.

A slight smile crossed Glennan's face and she nodded to show her understanding. Sliding off the table, Angela followed the tech deeper into life station. They returned a short time later, the tech followed carrying several things. When they reached the examination table she handed Angela something which she took, then a cup of water. With gentle firmness she wrapped Angela's hand back up.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Kara asked as she pushed herself off the wall.

"Yes, sir. There are stress fractures in the bones of her hand. I've given her some medication to take care of the pain, and a special one to help the bones heal quicker," the medic answered. Before she left Angela reached out with her good hand to get her attention. Looking down she indicated her lower abdomen then tilted her hand back and forth very slightly. The tech eventually realized what Angela was requesting then nodded while holding up one finger while turning around. When she returned she gave Angela a small package. The Terran visibly relaxed and nodded while reaching for it. 'Thank you,' she said quietly then slid off the table. She looked in confusion as Kara slapped Gaeta's shoulder and quickly left Life Station.

"Sir, if she hasn't already, you might want her to eat something. The medication and drugs I've given her have a tendency of causing nausea. Also, this is for tonight. It's more of a tranquilizer and will help her rest." She handed Gaeta another small package.

Gaeta nodded while turning his attention back to Angela. The Terran had a bit of a lopsided grin and her eyes had developed a slightly glazed look. "Food would be good," he nodded while reaching for her arm. This time she didn't try to resist, she was too drugged up at the moment. For a moment he pondered the wisdom of bringing her to the common room he frequented, and her by default, for breakfast as he escorted her down the corridor. He knew his fellow officers would assume she was drunk even with her hand bandaged up as it was. When he reached a fork in the corridor, he decided to at least stop by and pick something up for her. She could eat it well enough in her cabin.

Just as he turned he let go of her arm. For a second she stood there then went the other direction in a slight shuffle. "Not that way," he caught up with her and directed her in the other direction. At the next turn, she did the same thing. Gaeta quickly realized that she tended to go in the other way if not physically directed.

When they stepped inside the common room, he knew he was running late. It was something, though, that couldn't be helped. Directing her over to one of the tables, he pointed to a chair, "Sit."

It took a moment before Angela realized what he said, then nodded and sat down. She then placed her head on the table resting it on her good hand.

"Isn't it a little early for her to be like that?"

Gaeta turned his attention to the officer before answering, "It's not alcohol, McKamy, it's medication. Look at her hand."

McKamy shrugged his shoulders before continuing, "Darin was here earlier. What did you do to her?"

"I had her at tactical yesterday," he commented offhandedly as he retrieved the food that would reduce Glennan's drugged state to something more manageable.

"By herself?"

"Not completely. I was there." Gaeta ended the conversation and walked back over to the table and set the tray down. "Glennan?" he tapped her shoulder gently, not quite sure of how she would react. She slowly raised her head and opened her eyes to gaze at him. "Eat." He pointed to the food in front of her. Like before, she took a moment before she was able to comprehend what he was telling her. Nodding slowly, she first reached with her bandaged hand, then changed her mind and used her other and began picking at the food.

"It will make you feel better," Gaeta told her, making sure to pronounce the words clearly.

'Okay,' she answered quietly as she pulled the tray towards her.

oOoOo

Kara barely made it out and around the corner before she started giggling quietly. She somehow managed to make it half way to the pilot's ready room before she started laughing in earnest.

"Lieutenant Thrace?" President Roslin's voice came from behind her.

Starbuck whirled around while trying to control her laughter. "Ma'am. . ." she started, but couldn't help herself and started laughing again when her mind replayed what had just happened.

"Are you all right?" Laura asked in concern.

"I'm sorry," Kara shook her head while vainly trying to control herself. "It's just that. . .I found out just how lucky Baltar was. . ." She dissolved into laughter again while leaning up against the bulkhead for support.

"What are you talking about?" Laura took a few steps towards the CAG. "What do you mean Baltar being lucky?"

Kara managed to gain control once again then leaned over and whispered into Laura's ear.

The President's eyes widened when she realized when she heard Kara's explanation and snickered slightly. "You're right, he is lucky to get off the _Galactica_ in one piece."

Somehow keeping control, Kara stood back to attention, "Ma'am, I do have CAP." She saluted then turned back to the direction of the pilot's ready room, still laughing quietly.

Laura closed her eyes and let the grin stay in place while she went back to her work that was never ending.

oOoOo

It never ceased to amaze Lee of just how many people were stationed on board a battlestar. Sitting in his quarters he looked over the lists of crew that worked with the Terrans to get the supplies distributed to the civilians. One package missing was one thing, but several pallets? Not only was it too much, but it was the way they were taken. They had to have been buying and selling within the apparent black market for some time to be this brazen.

The first thing he needed to verify was the ones that worked with the specific shuttles. There was a problem though. He had no idea who knew about it, and who was involved with the black market within the battlestar's population. With his security clearance, getting the full lists would be easy enough, but others could be watching. When he first arrived, the CIC personnel seemed resentful of his presence. It shouldn't take this long for him to be integrated into the officers, but some of the hard core Cain followers still treated him like an outsider.

Lee rubbed his face and sighed. If he was going to get anything accomplished, he would need the complete support of the CO. The problem was there was no CO on the Beast. Sitting back, he reached over for the phone and punched a few buttons. One of the nice things about being the XO was that he had direct access to his dad.

_"Adama."_

"Dad, it's me. Please tell me you're in the process of getting someone over here."

_"Don't worry, son. I've already worked it out and right now in the process of getting someone over there."_

"Really? When?"

_"It should be no later than the end of the day."_

"All right. Who will it be?"

_"I'm sending Tigh."_

"Are you sure about that?" Lee asked skeptically.

_"Lee, I know what you're thinking. But he is the best qualified to handle the crew, he just doesn't do as well in dealing with the press and civilians. Anything else you want to let me know about?"_

"Yes, sir," Lee looked down to the manifests. "You said to be quiet. I'm not sure if I can be. They know something is going on. If word gets out then I won't be able to work as freely."

_"I will ask Saul to give you full support in the investigation. You also have jurisdiction to go to any ship to ask questions and gather any evidence you need. We need to get this solved, especially for the ships that did not receive all the supplies they need."_

"Right," Lee nodded. "I understand, sir. I'll report as soon as I find anything."

_"Good. And Lee, please be careful. I'm not asking as your commanding officer, but as your father. Please, don't do anything stupid that could get yourself killed."_

Lee swallowed and thought about just how far the two of them had come since the Holocaust. "I understand. I will be careful."

_"That's all I ask."_

Lee looked at the phone after he disconnected the line. He was not expecting the direction the conversation took. Maybe this investigation was more dangerous that he realized.

oOoOo

Adama looked at the handset for a moment before putting it back up. He sighed as he leaned back. _So much to do_, he thought. It had never let up. _I should have been retired by this time_, he mused, _and living comfortably by the beach._

The door opening distracted him from any further musing. Laura walked in with what could only be described as an impish grin. "Anything I should know about?" he asked as he looked down and opened one of the desk drawers and started looking through its contents.

She sauntered over to his office and collapsed into one of the leather chairs. "Only that I found out something very interesting. It seems that our illustrious vice president was very lucky to get off the _Galactica_ in one piece."

"Why's that?" he asked as he stopped his search.

"Oh, come on Bill. I would think you're quick enough to figure it out."

Closing the drawer, he went to the next one down. "Laura, if I had more information I would be able to, but not at the moment." He stopped as he pulled something out and set it on his desk.

The smile faded from Laura's face as she leaned forward. "Are those. . ."

"One of my sets of commander pins," Bill answered as he reached back into the drawer. The other box he drew out was one that was much older. When he opened it he nodded in satisfaction then closed it and set it off to the side.

"Then I'm going to leave." Laura got up.

"No, don't." Bill raised a hand. "It's common practice to have a higher ranked officer present when one is promoting an officer."

Laura nodded and sat back down as Bill reached for the comm unit. "I need Colonel Tigh to report to my office, please." He set it back in its cradle and turned his attention back to Laura.

"It was different with you though," she mused.

"Not so much." Bill shook his head. "We do what we have to in this situation. I'm trying to keep as much protocol as possible, but some things I have had to let slide for our survival. And since you're insistent about going over and talking to O'Neill I need to contact them and tell them our plans."

Laura smiled as she watched Bill turn around and mess with the transceiver. Instead of speaking, he did something else and sent a message over stating their intentions.

The door opened up before Laura could respond. "Sirs, Colonel Tigh is here."

Bill stood up and grasped the newer box then walked around his desk. "Let him in."

"So, this is it," Tigh commented as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes, it is. Did you ever expect to get to this point?" Bill let his face soften a little.

"To tell you the truth, never did want back in."

"And now you will be one of the few commanders left," Bill countered as he opened the box. "Colonel, take off your pins, but keep them."

"Yes, sir," Tigh mumbled as he fumbled with the clasps. When they were off, Bill moved closer then with meticulous care attached the new rank pins. "Commander Tigh, as your first duty," Adama began while stepping back, "After the announcement, is to shuttle over to the _Pegasus _and become her commanding officer. You are also commanded to give full support to Major Adama's investigation with the missing supplies." Bill relaxed for a moment then let a smile cross his face, "Congratulations, Saul." He reached out his hand.

Tigh shook his head slightly as he accepted it, "Thanks, I think."

"This way you won't have to deal with any of the civilians. Just keep the crew in line is all I ask."

"Now, that I can do, sir," Tigh answered with a smile. "I'll make arrangements to have my cabin is cleared out before I go over."

"Good." Bill walked back over to his desk and switched boxes. Before turning around he reached for the comm again and punched a few buttons before speaking, "Is Lieutenant Gaeta in CIC. . .Thank you."

"And?" Laura asked while moving towards the door.

"He just made it to CIC. Lieutenant Glennan is with him, for now." Bill went over to the door and pulled it open. They were met by few people on the short trip to the CIC. Dee called out when she caught sight of them, "Admiral on deck!"

"As you were," Adama answered as he worked his way around to the bottom of the room. He could hear the whispers from the crew as Tigh passed them. They knew something was different. "Attention," Adama called out. "Commander Fisk of the _Pegasus_ is dead," he continued in the now quiet room. "Commander Tigh will take over as commander of the _Pegasus._" Adama glanced around the room gauging his crew's reactions to the changes. Some were surprised some were not, and then some were glad that Tigh was off the ship. He let his eyes sweep the room once more, this time checking to see where Gaeta was. The tactical officer was on the second level by the FTL drive controls. "Lieutenant Gaeta, could you please come down here?" Adama gave the command in the form of a request. All eyes suddenly focused on one of the most senior of the junior officers as he moved rather quickly. He seemed calm, but Adama knew otherwise. The young officer was sending waves of panic, not knowing what he did wrong.

"You have done nothing wrong, Lieutenant," Adama said with a calming voice. Looking up he noticed the Terran looking down with some confusion at the events unfolding before her.

"Yes, sir," Gaeta answered while swallowing hard. "Commander Tigh looked over what you did yesterday and approved of it. Remove your pins, but keep them."

Gaeta's panic turned into shock as he reached up and, like Tigh, fumbled with the clasps. When finished, Adama opened up the old box and removed the new rank pins. "I cannot have a captain as my XO, but I can have a major. Felix Gaeta, I am not only making you my new XO, but I am promoting you the rank of major." When finished, he backed away and finished, "Congratulations, Major."

Gaeta closed his eyes, not quite sure what just happened was real. It was definitely not expected. "Thank you, sir," he answered and saluted. When Adama returned it, the CIC personnel broke out in applause for their new XO.

When the noise died down somewhat Adama continued, "Your first official duty as my XO is to escort the President and the Terran liaison over to Captain O'Neill's ship today. President Roslin wants to meet with the Terran captain and we also need to have Lieutenant Glennan's pda fixed."

"Right, sir," Gaeta nodded while letting his fingers tighten around his old pins. "Sir?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Will I, um, stay in the same quarters, sir?"

"No," Bill smiled as he shook his head. "Commander Tigh will have everything vacated by the time you return back today. I will also have the marines move your possessions into your new quarters."

When Adama moved away the other officers stationed in the CIC started coming over to congratulate him and his rather sudden promotion. When Kelly came up Gaeta immediately felt guilty for the officer that was looked over. "I'm sorry about it," he apologized for his sudden good fortune.

Kelly lowered his voice before answering, "Better you than me. I had to do it when the Old Man was down, scared the crap outta me, sir." To show there was no hard feelings he reached out his hand. It was at that moment Gaeta realized that it did happen. The new XO had to shift his lieutenant pins to his other hand to accept the hand shake. When the talking and comments had died down Gaeta went back over to where both Adama and Tigh were. "Sir?"

"Yes?" Adama turned his attention to the younger officer.

Gaeta looked to both Adama and Tigh before answering, "I need to put these up, sir." He held up his old pins.

"Granted," Adama nodded.

Gaeta glanced to Tigh for a moment and nodded then turned and climbed to the second level. Angela met him before he could go any further and said with a smile, 'Congratulations.'

For a moment Gaeta didn't know what she meant until she pointed to his new pins. He was silent while trying to remember the correct words, 'Uh, thank you?'

Angela nodded while stepping out of the way and letting him go where he needed to. She knew he would be back.

TBC...


	24. Chapter 24

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 24  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-four_**

Gaeta moved out of CIC and into the corridor that lead to the junior officers quarters. The events in the CIC seem to blur by the time he reached his quarters. _What am I doing here_, he asked himself. An executive officer is one that has served for many years and in many different positions. He knew he was too young to take the position. Kelly should have received the promotion. _He's done it before_, he finished just as he was reaching for the door lock.

"Major Gaeta, sir?"

Gaeta stopped in surprise then turned around slowly. "What is it, soldier?"

"Sir, this is from Admiral Adama." The marine handed over a folded piece of paper.

"Thank you," Gaeta accepted the paper then salute. "You're dismissed," he told the marine then turned his attention to the paper for a moment. Switching it to his other hand, he opened the door into his cramped quarters. For added privacy he shut and locked it behind him. Turning around, he placed the rank pins on his small desk, then opened up the paper. He quickly skimmed over the contents then pulled open one of the drawers and pulled out his lighter. For a time, mainly because of the constant stress, he had smoked, but then had to quit when he ran out of cigarettes. Moving into his head he held the paper over the toilet and lit the edge. He watched as the flames licked through the paper, destroying it and its contents. Just as it reached his fingers he let it go, and flushed what remained of the orders.

Turning his attention to the mirror, Gaeta slowly reached up and unbuttoned his uniform. When it was off he took a closer look at the new pins. He noticed in surprise that they were slightly worn. As he pulled them off he couldn't help but notice the old style clasp on the inside. As he gently set them on the counter he realized that they had to be Adama's own pins, when he had been a major twenty or so years ago. Taking a step back he held up his jacket to give it a once over then put it in the bin to be cleaned. After a quick inspection he decided his trousers looked all right, the crease could still be readily seen. Going back over to his locker, he opened it and pulled out a fresh uniform shirt. When he felt presentable, he reattached the new pins. He knew he was going to have to ask for more, one set was not enough. Looking at himself in the mirror he mused that these were going to be the last minutes he would be in these specific quarters. He had a feeling the stewards were already waiting around the corner for him to leave so they can pack everything up in boxes and move them to his new quarters. He would have the chore of unpacking everything.

As he stepped out, he heard over the intercom the changes that had just happened in the last twenty minutes. For a moment he looked around, wanting to make sure no one was near. He wondered if his reactions were because he didn't want to deal with the other junior officers - a group he was not a part of anymore. Taking quick strides, he passed the junior area and moved into the corridors that would take him to his new quarters and CIC.

_Tactical is open now_, he pondered. He knew there would come a time very soon when the tactical position would have to be filled. So far, all he knew was how Heather handled herself while being the officer of the watch, though he wasn't sure if she could handle it completely by herself. Yesterday proved to him that she could, maybe. Gaeta didn't know though. He would have to have others take over watch to see how they handled it. Right before he entered the CIC from the bottom he lamented that whoever took over his old position would at least not be completely out on a limb like he was.

When he stepped into CIC he moved directly to the large table in the center where Adama was standing. For a moment he looked around, expecting to find Tigh, but he wasn't there. At that moment he realized that it was true, and he wasn't the officer of the watch anymore but the executive officer. _Frak, what do I do?_ he panicked. _I'm not ready for something like this_. He looked around but Tigh was gone. "Sir," he swallowed nervously, "When do you want me to go over?"

Adama turned his attention to Gaeta and answered, "Not just yet." Adama pulled him over to the side and continued with his voice lowered, "We're waiting for Starbuck to finish her CAP."

Gaeta furrowed his brow in confusion before understanding came. "Right, I understand," he answered with a slight smile. He glanced up to the FTL station expecting to find Glennan still there, but she wasn't. "Sir? Where is Glennan?" he asked.

"She left a short time ago with one of the marines. Did something happened this morning?" Adama queried.

Gaeta gave a quick nod. "She hit her hand by accident, you know the bruised one. The med techs gave her some medication, but it had some affects on her. Breakfast was able to solve some of them, but not all, sir."

"Let her sleep until it's time."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Where is she?" Cottle mumbled as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his lab coat pocket. 

"Who?"

Cottle turned his attention to one of the Terran doctor coming up behind him. "That's none of your business, Jankowitz," he answered brusquely.

Jankowitz closed his eyes. After a moment he answered, "You said the same thing about the one on full life support. How am I supposed to help when you won't let me?"

"Because it's none of your damn business," Cottle tapped the pack and removed one of the cigarettes. Reaching down into his pocket, he pulled out a lighter and lit it. Flipping the lighter off, he dropped it along with the pack back into his pocket as he sucked in the smoke.

Jankowitz almost mentioned the cigarette, but decided not too; he knew he would get the same answer from the Colonial doctor he had gotten earlier. This was definitely Cottle's domain, and he ruled it as if he were lord or god.

"Then why am I here?" Jankowitz pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated at how he was being limited to what he could do.

"To evaluate, and if needed, give one of your vaccination shots." Cottle turned towards the door and removed the cigarette, "It's about damn time," he grumbled as he placed the cigarette in a nearby ashtray.

Jankowitz's eyes widened in surprise at the site of a very pregnant woman in the heaviest shackles he had ever seen. The marine guards with her were handling her with extreme caution.

"What took you so long, Valerii," Cottle grumbled again as he pulled out a chart.

"You do know it's getting harder to walk," she answered as she held up the heavy shackles with ease.

"Any contractions? And this time give me a straight answer."

"I guess," she shrugged her shoulders then turned her attention to Jankowitz. "You're new, I don't recognize you."

"I'm only here to evaluate you and give you a vaccination shot."

"Whatever," she answered carelessly. With an ease she should not have had at her stage of pregnancy, she then lifted herself onto the examination table and stretched out. In Jankowitz's eyes, she seemed to only tolerate the shackles, and if she had wanted to, she could remove them at any time. Glancing around quickly he could tell the Colonials felt the same way. Even in her current state, they treated her as if she were someone extremely dangerous.

Pushing the frustration and odd thoughts to the back of his mind, Jankowitz prepared the vaccine. Coming over to the table, he watched the examination idly as he used the Colonial items for the vaccination. Things were similar, but different at the same time, like the language. Only because of his mother's insistence, could he understand and communicate with the Colonials.

"You know, I don't need it," the pregnant woman spoke.

He looked to the patient only to find her looking directly at him. "Only if you're already been vaccinated, or had any of our rather nasty diseases will you not need one," Jankowitz countered. Glancing up to Cottle he noticed a rather perturbed look on his weathered face. "And even though you may still think that way," he turned his attention back to the patient, "Could at least humor me? I'm vaccinating everyone, and it's also the other way around. We have taken the precautions and have been vaccinated from your diseases."

"Valerii, don't bait him." Cottle backed up while letting Sharon sit up.

"Why not, got nothing else to do. That, you can blame Adama for."

"Quiet," Cottle said with a hard edge to his voice. The Colonial doctor turned his attention to the marines. "Take her back. Notify me if there is any change." He turned his attention back to Sharon. "You better tell me when your water breaks, because things can go very wrong in any delivery."

For once Sharon had a somewhat meek expression before it disappeared, "I'll be fine."

"And you can loose the baby. I don't think you want that to happen." He handed her over to the marines.

"No," she said softly while shaking her head.

When they were gone Jankowitz turned his attention back to Cottle, "Any more?"

"Not for now," the older doctor shook his head while going over to his ashtray. "Damn," he muttered as he pulled out the pack again.

Jankowitz left the Colonial doctor in the examination room and headed over to the alcove the Terran doctors had appropriated for discussions and quick meetings. 'Hey,' he commented when he recognized the doctor already in the room. Tom Hatcher was the _Mercy_'s resident psychiatrist. In the corner was a cart they had appropriated for their transceiver.

'Hey yourself. How are the vaccinations going?' Tom asked as he turned his attention back to the computer.

'Got a really odd one. She said she didn't need it.'

'Either a lot of bravado or really stupid,' Tom commented.

Jankowitz looked to the door then back to Hatcher before continuing, 'They're hiding something, but I'm not quite sure what it is.'

'I know. From what I've seen of the civilians and military personnel there is a lot of cases of PTSD.'

Jankowitz came around to look at the program Tom was working with. 'Almost like survivors of some terrible event and not colonists,' he muttered as he looked over Tom's shoulder.

'Right, and clinical depression is up there, too. These people need some major head help along with what you're giving them.' Tom flipped to another graph.

'Actually what I'm not giving them. Cottle runs this place like he's lord or something. Won't let me do hardly anything.' Jankowitz backed up and moved back around. 'You going to send a message to O'Neill about all this?'

'Hm. . .you know this is probably something she would want to know about.' Tom pulled up the email program and wrote an official missive to the senior captain stating their ideas and the problems they had been encountering. Not five minutes later the computer beeped. Opening the program, Tom was shocked to find an answer from O'Neill, thanking them for the information that was sent over. She finished by telling them to tread carefully, but to write down anything odd.

* * *

Mair looked at the computer screen for some time before looking to her office door. Hatcher was right in his thoughts about the Colonials. There was something in their history that they did not want to reveal, it's just that she couldn't figure it out for the life of her. Lieutenant Agathorn seemed open enough, but she could tell there were things he would not discuss. 

'I hope President Roslin will be more forthcoming,' she muttered as she looked over the email again. Coming to a decision, she reached over and pressed a few buttons. 'O'Bryan, could you report to my at sea cabin please?' She disconnected it before he could respond and went back to the scant information that Glennan had managed to find out and send in her reports.

'Come,' she called when the door signaled his arrival.

'You were wanting to talk to me?' Jack asked as he stepped inside.

'Yes,' Mair nodded towards one of the chairs.

'Door?'

She looked up and nodded. 'Got some stuff that I don't want leaving this room for now.'

Jack nodded while moving across the room after closing the door. On the back shelf he noticed one of the tomes she had been reading during quiet lulls. 'Is it about the Colonials?'

'Yes, it is.' She paused before continuing, 'Have you been able to find out anything from the liaison?'

'Not really, except that I can tell there's someone he misses very much.' Jack shrugged his shoulders.

'Hm. . .significant other, maybe?'

'Dunno, ma'am. Like I said, he's not that forthcoming.'

'Well, I got an interesting message from one of _Mercy_'s doctors. He believes that they need some serious head help along with the medicine and supplies we've given them. Then again. . .President Roslin said as much, but not with the medical needs.'

'What are their problems?' Jack settled deeper into the chair.

'PTSD and depression.'

'And I bet there's burnout, too.'

'Depending on how long they've been in this situation.' Mair pulled up another email, this one from one of the shuttle pilots. 'Got something else that you might find interesting.'

Jack leaned forward.

Mair turned the flat screen around so Jack could see the chart. 'If you look, you'll see that most, if not all ,of those ships are not designed for colonizing.'

Jack nodded, 'I remember you stating something like that earlier, ma'am.'

'Right, it's just that almost all were grabbed as quickly as possible and filled with as many people as possible, then they ran.'

'Maybe the ones that attacked were responsible. You know the ones we sent packing earlier in the week?'

'Maybe, maybe not. More than likely though, your assumption is probably correct.'

Jack leaned back again and brought his full attention back on Mair. 'This is all fine and dandy, but why exactly am I here?'

'Because of what happened to Glennan's pda, Admiral Adama has requested what amounts to a peace offering. President Roslin will accompany Glennan over here. I expect at least one military officer and maybe a few of their marines. Because of Roslin's rank I want to extend to her the full courtesy given to any leader.'

Jack sighed and let his shoulders sag. 'Do we have to wear the full ceremonial with all the doodads?'

'No, but have the marines wear armor under their uniforms. All the officers and noncoms that will have contact with her should have fresh uniforms on.'

Jack nodded with some relief. 'How long do we have to get ready?'

Mair pulled up another screen and looked at it for a moment. 'Three hours.'

* * *

Tigh stepped out of the raptor to the deck of the _Pegasus,_ only to be met by Lee. The rest of the deck gang currently on duty completely ignored him. 

"Welcome aboard, sir." Lee saluted him.

Tigh approached the younger Adama and accepted it. "Thank you, Major." Tigh looked around for a moment then started moving off the deck, "So, is this business as usual here?"

"I'm not sure about that, sir. A good portion of the crew have accepted me, but there are a few officers that haven't. I'm not sure they ever will."

"With the way Cain ran this ship with an iron fist, why am I not surprised?"

As they moved through the corridors of the much newer ship both could feel and see the officers watching the two warily, not really sure what to expect of their newest member. "Your things will be delivered to your cabin. I'm not sure if they will unpack for you or not."

"Don't care either way." Tigh glanced over and noticed the same look Bill gave him on occasion. "Okay, spill it."

"I've developed a few leads. If I'm to continue I. . ."

"I know. And you've got my full support on this. I want to know what's going on, also."

"Thank you, sir," Lee breathed a sigh of relief as they turned another corner. Before them was a door and a marine stationed outside. The guard looked at the two officers with an openly insolent glare, but he opened the door.

"I know how to take care of that," Tigh muttered as he stepped inside the CIC.

"How's that?"

"I'll tell you later." Tigh looked around when he neared the table. The technology was obviously much newer, but he knew there were things that the bucket could do that his command would never be able to do. He smiled absorbing the fact that the _Pegasus_ was now his girl. He stopped and watched Lee introduce him. "I want to introduce to you your new commanding officer, Commander Tigh."

"As you were," Tigh immediately barked, not wasting any time to show that he was boss.

* * *

Gaeta stood outside Angela's cabin once again. He seemed to be doing this a lot lately. Shrugging it off, he finally raised his hand and knocked. It had been two hours since the sudden promotion. During the ensuing time, Adama had started going over what he was expected to do and perform. _Push, but don't break them_, the words echoed in his mind. The ironic thing was he still hadn't been able to get that strategy book back to Adama. Everything seemed to conspire against him in that regard. When there was no answer he raised his hand to knock again, but at the last moment he heard the door unlock. 

He immediately could tell she was not ready for anything. Glennan seemed to have just gotten up, which he was probably right. Her eyes were ever so slightly bloodshot from both the medication and her sleep, and what she was wearing was quite rumpled. "We are going to your ship," he said slowly.

She furrowed her brow at first before she nodded. Backing away, she went over to the locker and pulled out a fresh uniform, one that was similar to what she was wearing, then disappeared into the head. About five minutes later she reappeared while running a hand through her short dark hair. Sitting down in a chair she pulled on her shoes then went to the wall cradle and pulled out her pda.

'I'm ready,' she commented then yawned.

Gaeta looked at her in slight confusion for a moment, then realized what she had said, "Right." He nodded, then escorted her out and towards the hanger deck. On the way, they passed an off-duty marine. Gaeta stopped Glennan then told the marine due to extenuating circumstances the initial class would not be held because. Nodding, the marine saluted then went off in another direction to inform the rest of the ones that were looking forward to the class.

The plan was to take one of the raptors because of its FTL drive and be escorted by two of the alert vipers. The marines chosen would have hand weapons, but not full body armor. This was a diplomatic parley that was meant to fix any major faux pas that the vice president caused.

Entering the hanger, he found Thrace was already there and in uniform for once. She was not wearing her flight suit because of the nature of the mission. The marines had not arrived yet, they would come with the President.

Kara met them across the way. When she was close enough, she stopped and smiled then saluted. "So, how does it feel to now be the officer everyone loves to hate, sir?"

"Shut up, Thrace," Gaeta muttered then answered the salute.

With the smile still on her face she turned to Angela. "Better?" she gave the Terran a knowing look.

Angela hesitated while trying to figure out Kara's meaning. Eventually she nodded, 'Yes.'

"Good." Kara turned her attention back to Gaeta and continued, "You know, Baltar was lucky, very lucky."

"Why?" he countered while glancing around the room. Most of the deck gang were working on damaged vipers, so the noncoms attention was elsewhere at the moment.

Kara's smiled widened, "You wouldn't know, would you."

"I could order you to tell me."

"But you're not because here comes the President," Kara got out of the conversation as she focused her attention to the group now arriving. The room seemed to quiet down as they all stood at attention when Laura came through.

"I see everyone's here," Laura commented as she looked at the group.

"Yes, ma'am," Gaeta nodded.

As they started to board Tyrol came up to the group, "Sir?" He pulled Gaeta to the side as he handed over a piece of paper. "If you could give this to Helo, sir."

Gaeta looked at it a moment then nodded. Folding it again, he tucked it into his breast pocket then dismissed him.

"What took you so long?" Starbuck asked from the front of the raptor as Gaeta settled into one of the chairs.

"Nothing," he answered as he buckled himself in.

"Well, it's time to go now," Starbuck said as she sealed the hatch and pressurized the cabin. "The trip should take probably about thirty minutes to an hour at most."

TBC...


	25. Chapter 25

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 25  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-five_**

"There they go," Starbuck commented as the viper escort pealed off and headed back to the fleet. Turning her attention back to what she was doing, she couldn't help but grin when two of the Terran fighters met the raptor and flew around them. They quickly reappeared on either side of them, guiding them to the side of the Terran ship.

_'Colonial vessel, this is Goch traffic control. Alter course left 012 degrees, and pitch up 010 degrees._'

"Oh hell, no," she muttered. Turning around she said, "Glennan, get your butt up here!" then turned her attention back to the ever growing ship. Glancing to the side she noticed how one Terran fighter moved slightly forward and rocked from side to side for a moment before settling down. Looking out the other side, that one side slid behind them and out of view.

"Here," she said as she handed Angela a headset as the Terran settled into the co-pilot's seat. "I can't understand a damn thing they're saying."

Angela looked at Starbuck for a moment, not entirely sure why she was up front. Shrugging her shoulders, she put the headset on and caught the last of a message. 'Goch traffic control, this is Lieutenant Glennan. Please repeat your last message.'

_'Colonial vessel, this is Goch traffic control. Alter course left 012 degrees, and pitch up 010 degrees.' _

Angela looked down to the confusing array of instruments and then to Kara. The viper pilot was looking at her expectantly. _I have no idea how to even begin to translate that._ 'I am unable to translate that response to the pilot. I request a translator that can talk to the pilot directly.'

_'Understood, Lieutenant. Have pilot follow lead Piranha until we can get someone up here to translate.'_

'Roger.' Taking a deep breath she then turned to Starbuck and pointed to the lead fighter. "Follow Piranha. Uh. . .talk. . .this. . ." she pointed to the ship in front of them.

Starbuck closed her eyes and shook her head. "I cannot believe this is happening," she muttered.

_'Colonial vessel, Goch traffic control. Please relay this message to pilot.'_

Angela's eyes widened as she looked frantically around for something to write on. 'Wait one, traffic control. I'm looking for something right now to write it down on.' Not finding anything around her, she indicated with her finger and hand to show she wanted something to write with and on. Starbuck shook her head. 'Shit,' she muttered. 'Traffic control, I don't have anything to use to write down the message to relay it. Do you have a pda with the translation program there?'

_'Negative.'_

'Damn!" Angela leaned back against the headrest and hit it a couple of times with her head.

"Stop that," Starbuck ordered.

"Thrace, what's going on?" Gaeta asked from his position further back in the raptor.

Starbuck turned to look back and glared, "Unless you can speak Terran better than Glennan, stay out of it."

Gaeta's eyes widened for a moment at Starbuck's apparent insolence. Turning his attention back to Roslin, he shrugged his shoulders while crossing his arms.

"Aren't you going to do anything?" Laura asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I can't. She's in command right now."

_'Lieutenant Glennan, this is the XO. I am taking over now.'_

"Thank you, sir," Angela answered gratefully as she sat back.

_"Colonial vessel, this is Goch traffic control. Lead Piranha will guide you down to the port flight deck."_

"It's about damn time," Starbuck muttered. "Frak me. . ." she muttered at the sight now before her.

"What is it, Thrace," Gaeta asked.

Starbuck answered while turning around again, "Their flight deck is on the outside."

_"Colonial vessel, when you reach the deck you are to follow the crew's directions to taxi in. The kill signal is the deck hand drawing their hand across their neck."_

"Roger," Starbuck answered, clearly relieved that there was finally someone there who knew what they were doing. As they neared, she could see several fighters out on the deck. The crew had on pressure suits that allowed them to move around on the exposed deck fairly easily. As she reached the platform, she noted that there was a fraction of a normal g generated. With the technology she had seen Glennan use, it made her wonder why the Terrans did it this way. Hand signals from the deck crew enabled her to settle the raptor onto the spot ringed with flashing lights. Guided by another crew person, they taxied around and into an opening into the ship. When they stopped, she recognized the signal to kill the engine, and complied. After a few more moments the indicator lights on the control panel informed her that the outside was pressurized and breathable air was being pumped in.

Not knowing exactly what to do, Starbuck kept the raptor in place. When it was safe to open the hatch, the wall before them slid into the ceiling, revealing an extremely busy hanger with fighters everywhere. What caught her attention, though, was the odd sight before her, but slightly off to the side.

"Come," Angela said as she pulled off her headset. Getting up, she squeezed through the somewhat narrow space and moved to the rear section where the DRADIS console was located. The others were in the process of getting the restraints off and standing up. One of the marines pushed his way through the crowd and broke the seal for the door. Once opened, he looked around as he stepped out onto the wing and then dropped to the deck. When he deemed it safe, he turned back to the occupants and nodded. After they were all assembled on the deck, Angela pointed in the direction they were supposed to go; right where the very odd formation was located.

When they neared it, the Terran liaison stopped everyone, then looked to Laura.

"Go," she said as she pointed to the gap between the eight Terran crew members standing in line at attention. On the other side were the senior officers.

"There?" Laura asked.

Angela nodded. "Go," she said as she reached out to nudge her in the right direction.

"You don't have to do that," Laura answered quietly through her teeth. As she took a step, she looked back to see if the others were with her. Glennan was holding them back with an outstretched arm. As she took another stop, everyone snapped their right hands up and saluted. Laura hesitated. Odd, she thought that the Terran and Colonial salutes were the same.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of a shrill whistle, followed by several chirps. Resuming her forward movement, she crossed the threshold of the odd formation just as a series of bells sounded. She never thought to count how many she heard or how many military personnel she passed. were. The whole thing was too much of a ceremony for her tastes. She had grown very fond of the low key Bill kept on the _Galactica_ while she was there. When she reached the last pair of Terrans someone called out a phrase in the odd sounding language.

'President of the Twelve Colonies, arriving.'

"Welcome aboard, Madam President," Captain O'Neill smiled as she reached out a hand. When she accepted it, O'Neill looked over her shoulder to the waiting group and nodded.

Turning around, Laura saw the rest of her entourage come through whatever it was. The Terrans were now just standing at attention.

'Ma'am,' Glennan came up and saluted smartly.

'Good to see you back on board, Lieutenant,' Mair answered with her own salute.

Angela relaxed slightly. 'Thank you, ma'am.'

When Mair glanced off to the side, another whistle sounded and the two rows of Terrans dispersed.

"Captain, what was that for?" Laura indicated the dispersing crew.

Mair gave her a slight smile before answering, "Tradition dictates that we render honors to all leaders no matter where they come from." Turning her attention to Angela, she continued, 'I believe you have things to take care of?'

'Yes, ma'am,' Angela nodded. 'By your leave?'

'Very well.'

Before leaving, Angela glanced toward the Colonials, then turned and started heading for the door that would take her out of the hanger and into the ship itself. The shadow that quickly loomed behind her let her know that she was being followed. Glancing over her shoulder, Angela's eyes widened slightly in surprise when she saw it was Gaeta. At the door, she pulled out the pda and tapped the screen. "No work," she tried to explain.

Gaeta nodded, understanding at least that. "Are you going to get it fixed?" he asked slowly.

Angela hesitated as she puzzled out what he had said, then nodded. Turning around, she grabbed a bar on the door, and brought it up and vertical, then pushed the door open and went through to the other side. When Gaeta followed, she pushed it shut and then brought the bar down again before starting towards the tech department. Like the ships of old, the only way to get to where she needed to go with a minimal amount of time, was through a winding maze of corridors and levels. As Gaeta had when she first arrived on the _Galactica_, Angela turned back to make sure he was still behind her. 'Sorry, it's the only way,' she commented.

Gaeta shook his head in confusion. Looking around, he now understood exactly what Angela had been dealing with, especially for the last few days. She was now his lifeline, and by this time he was so completely turned around he had no idea where he was on the Terran ship.

She eventually stopped along a corridor that had rows of doors on either side. Turning to him, she held up one finger, then pulled the closest door open. It was dark on the inside. Angela stepped in and flipped a switch, turning on a series of red lights placed strategically around the room. Coming over to the desk, she turned on a single reading light and angled it down to the drawers.

'Angela?' a groggy voice came from deeper inside.

'Go back to sleep, Becky,' Angela said softly as she moved over to the occupied bunk and pulled the curtain closed, blocking out the light.

'K.'

Curious as to what she was doing, and who she was talking too, Gaeta stuck his head inside. From the single lamp and the red glow he could just make out what looked like a couple of bunks in the room. Angela had a desk drawer open and was searching through it as quietly as she could. Every once in a while, she pulled out a component and put it on the desktop. When she was satisfied, she closed the drawer and stood up to look around. Looking back down, she picked up the somewhat small items, then turned the lamp off. He looked around and saw that the lamps were next to the ceiling and that it backlit everything in a red glow. It was enough to see by if the main lights were not on. Reaching the corridor, she flipped off the lights and pulled the door closed quietly. She then turned and showed Gaeta what she had been looking for.

"Work now." From there, she turned and went back down the corridor. Not knowing what to do, Gaeta followed her through another winding path through the ship. When Angela stopped, she turned around and gave him a knowing look and shook her head. 'Now you know,' she commented. Turning back around she moved down one more corridor before entering another room.

'Ferguson, got something for you,' Angela said as she closed in on the nearest desk.

'Glennan! I heard you were off ship. That true?' The burly Scot stood up and moved around to give her a bear hug.

Once they finished their greeting Angela smiled as she handed the malfunctioning pda. 'Yes. It's looking like a long term assignment.'

Taking the small computer, Ferguson nodded. 'Your fault?' he asked while looking to see what was wrong.

'No,' Angela shook her head. 'It was some dumbass who has an over inflated sense of what he's worth. Wiped the hard drive clean.'

'Ouch,'

'Ouch is right,' she answered while handing the instillation discs over. 'I could do this, but I'm afraid I'd screw it up.'

'That's what we're here for.' He sat back down then looked up again. 'Who's your shadow?'

Angela's eyes widened as she turned her attention back to Gaeta. "I sorry," she apologized to him for ignoring him.

"It's all right," he answered clearly. He didn't seem too angry with her for the accidental slight.

'This is the Colonial officer I've been working with. It was much easier when the translation program worked. I think he's a lieutenant, but now I'm not sure.'

'Any reason why?'

'Got a promotion. It seemed important,'

'Well, does he have a name?' Ferguson set the instillation discs down and looked at her expectantly.

Angela rolled her eyes while shaking her head, 'Yes, he does. His name is Felix Gaeta.'

Ferguson narrowed his eyes for a moment and opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

'Not, it's not you. It's me! I can't believe I forgot something like that. Actually though. . .they're not used to dealing with people that can't speak their language. That's the really tough part of what I'm doing now.'

Ferguson nodded in sympathy. 'Then I've got just the thing for you. I uploaded the new translation program on an older pda. Seems it works just as good as if it were on the latest model.' Swiveling his chair around, he picked up a slimmer version of her personal unit. While turning back around, he switched the pda on to make sure everything was working properly. 'Here ya go, lassie. I should have yours up and running in about an hour,' he said as he handed the loaner pda over.

'How can I thank you for this?'

'By keeping your new charges in line,' he gave her a big smile, then stood up and saluted.

'I will see you in an hour,' Angela answered the salute. Turning, she showed the working pda to Gaeta. Pulling out the stylus she wrote down, "You have no idea how much this helps."

Gaeta nodded in understanding then looked at the small computer. "I need to meet with Thrace and Agathorn," he said clearly as they exited the tech compartment.

Angela nodded, then looked to see if there was phone capabilities on the loaner. When she didn't find it, she decided to log off and then back on with her own id. When the computer came back online, she checked to see if the call, or at least a walkie-talkie feature was part of the basic features. She smiled when it came up. 'Lovett, this is Glennan.'

_'Glennan! What can I do for you?'_

'Find two Colonial officers for me.'

_'Wait one. . .Found them. Uh, they're in the pilot ready room.'_

Angela rolled her eyes. 'Roger. Out.' Turning off the communications program she switched back to the translation. "We will get to Thrace and Agathorn."

"How did you find out?" Gaeta asked, not knowing, but fascinated at what just happened.

'Walkie-talkie,' Angela shrugged her shoulders. 'Ancient technology for us.'

Finally reaching for the pda, Gaeta asked, 'And the pilots?'

Plucking it out of his hands, she answered, "I have issues with them. Don't ask." She went back into the maze of corridors. Gaeta felt the labyrinth was far worse than the _Galactica_ as he followed her once again.

* * *

Kara looked around the hanger once the groups had dispersed. She was not entirely alone, Helo had arrived. 

"I would have been here earlier, but got turned around. I swear, this place is worse than the _Galactica_," he commented as he came up to her.

"All you missed was the ceremony welcoming President Roslin on board." She shrugged her shoulders. Looking down, she noticed another translator. "I see you got one, too."

"Yeah, it's been hard, but this makes it easier." He held up the pda.

'Agathorn?'

Helo turned and addressed the pilot who showed up. 'Uh. . .yes?'

The Terran turned his attention back to Kara, then let a slow smile cross his face. Helo swung his eyes towards Kara and noticed she had the same look. "Thank you," she commented as she snatched for the pda.

"What?" Helo turned around in confusion as Starbuck left with the gathering Terran pilots. "Hey! Wait up!" he hurried to catch up with the group.

"Hurry up, got places to go," Starbuck commented then laughed.

He managed to catch up with them just as they moved though one of the airlocks. Helo knew the moment he lost sight of them, he'd be totally lost added to the fact that his language skills were abysmal. Early on, he realized just how difficult the Terran language was to learn. When he caught up to them, he listened to the pilots for a moment as they talked among themselves. When they came to a consensus they looked to one in particular, and she reached out for the pda.

"Helo, I thought the Terran language was smoother than what they're speaking," Kara commented.

"Dunno."

"You are a fighter pilot," the Terran spoke with an accent they were not used to hearing from Glennan.

Starbuck nodded.

"Good. What are you called? They call me Stinger."

Starbuck smiled at the image that created. "Starbuck."

Another one said something to the spokesperson. Nodding, she continued, "Is it true, you have no home?"

Starbuck looked to Helo, not quite sure how to answer the question. "Have they asked you anything like this?"

"Not so far." He ran a hand through his short hair. "I'm not sure how to answer that, or even if we should."

Turning back, she answered carefully, "Not anymore." The Terran's reactions surprised her. They all looked at her in sympathy and understanding.

Kara looked around to the images on the walls then turned her attention back to the pilots. "You're deck is outside. Any reason why?"

"It's always been like that. Don't see any need to change since it works well with us."

Starbuck nodded, still not quite understanding why they did it that way. "What about Glennan? You do know she's with us."

Almost to a fault, all the pilots grinned. "Good, better you than us!"

_This is interesting_, Kara thought. "Why's that?"

"We can't have any fun when she's around. Some time ago we tried to loosen her up, but it didn't work. It's been hell since then."

Another grabbed the pda and finished, "But it was fun when it happened!"

Before she could ask what they did the door behind the pilots opened, catching Kara's attention. Angela stepped inside with Gaeta trailing behind. The liaison said something in the same guttural language the pilots were that caused them to cringe and scatter in all directions. Soon only the Colonial officers were left in the room. _I wonder what it was to get them on her shit list_, Kara mused.

Helo grinned at the pilots' reaction. He looked at the woman with Gaeta, "Who's that?"

"The Terran liaison," Kara answered. "So, what were you doing?" she asked as she neared the two newcomers.

"Having my pda fixed," Angela commented. "Ferguson is letting me use this for the time being." She held up the more streamline version.

Helo came up to join the three. His eyes widened when he noticed the different rank pins on Gaeta. "Big changes, sir?" he asked.

"Lots. Fisk is dead and Adama put Tigh in command of the _Pegasus_."

Helo's eyes widened in surprise. "What happened?"

Gaeta shook his head. "We're not sure at the moment. Admiral Adama has Apollo investigating the issues. That's not the only thing. We have supplies missing, too."

"Nothing seems to go right," Helo shook his head.

"Don't be so maudlin, Helo. Gaeta here is now the officer everyone loves to hate," Kara commented with a smile.

"Thrace, don't," Gaeta answered tiredly. He turned his attention back to Helo, "I'm here to update and expand your orders."

Karl glanced to Kara for a moment, but her attention was on Glennan. The viper pilot was giving her what could only be considered an appraising look. Turning back to Gaeta, he nodded.

"You are to find out who these Terrans are, and why they are here in the first place."

Helo nodded again. "You think they might be. . ."

Gaeta shook his head, "I don't know, but they might know who we are looking for."

"Right, sir."

"There's something else." Gaeta reached up and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and handed it over.

Unfolding it, Karl quickly read the message and smiled. "Thank you, sir. I'll get this back to you before you leave."

"Good," Gaeta nodded, then commented under his breath, "I swear, it's like a maze here."

Just as the two were leaving, Starbuck called, "How are we going to meet up?"

Gaeta stopped and turned around, "Let the Terrans handle that. They've got a quick and easy way of communicating around the ship."

"Yes, sir," she commented to herself. When the door closed, she turned to Helo, "Do you know where we can find those pilots again?"

Helo shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I might. C'mon."

* * *

Mair sighed as she sat down at her desk. Laura had followed her in. The Colonial President glanced around the walls looking at the different artwork, but stopped when she first noticed one of the pieces on the far wall. Turning around, Mair looked to the wall, but didn't see anything unusual. 

"Captain, what is that?" Laura asked.

Mair looked back to the wall then to Laura. "I'm sorry, Madam President, but I don't see anything unusual."

Laura shook her head. "Not that, it's the creature in red. What is that?"

Mair narrowed her eyes knowing full well what the Colonial President was asking about. "Oh, that. That is the ship's crest."

Laura slowly moved across the room to the available chairs. "Interesting," she commented.

"Madam President, this ship is a part of a grouping of ships. All Commonwealth countries provide ships, units, or funding to the Terran military. This ship was given by Wales and is named after her most prominent symbol."

"How old is this symbol?" Laura asked, now very interested.

Mair let a ghost of a smile cross her face before answering, "No one knows. Scholars think it dates back to the ancient Greek myth of the griffin, a creature that was half bird half lion."

Laura nodded thoughtfully before changing the subject. "I think you know why I am here."

Mair nodded, "Yes, I do."

"I wanted to apologize in person for Vice President Gaius Baltar's actions. Ever since the Holocaust he has. . ." Laura shook her head, not knowing how to explain the mad scientist.

"You've never mentioned exactly what happened with your Holocaust," Mair said slowly. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine with me."

Laura signed as she sat back. "I don't know where to begin." She knew well enough not to mention the connection they had with the Cylons. "We were in a protracted war that ended forty years ago. Eight months ago, they attacked us and completely overwhelmed our defenses and military. We had a thriving twelve planet economy, what you see out there is what is left."

"And you?"

"Me?" Laura laughed. "I was the most minor cabinet member, but the only one left alive. By default I became president, something I did not want." Laura stopped and realized she was the one doing all the talking. "What about Terra? You know more about the Colonies than we do of your people." Laura crossed her arms.

Mair commented, "What is there to say? We are a world that has over 200 independent countries, but work as a unit to protect ourselves. The United Terran Government is only a symbol, but that is the entity that is shown to the other empires or societies out here in space."

"How do you keep from fighting yourselves?" Laura shook her head.

"I admit, it took a long time. Sad to say, we've had at least three global wars. The second one needed to be fought, though. All the rest were started as petty conflicts, and bruised pride among the leaders."

"I remember you mentioning that very few people can understand me? Is there a reason why?"

"Because English is the dominant language on Terra, but not the one most spoken natively. There are many other languages that are spoken, but none as worldwide. English became dominant at the end of the Second World War, mainly because of the countries that came out on the winning end of that conflict spoke it. Then those very countries rebuilt most, if not all, of the devastated areas, including the countries that came out on the loosing end of it. Everyone was better off in the long run, though some people came to resent that power the winners had over the losers."

Laura nodded, "I can understand how that can come about."

"Now," Mair turned her attention to her monitor. "I talked to Admiral Adama about this. Has he done anything about the pilfering of supplies?"

Laura hesitated before answering, "Yes, he has an officer already investigating it."

"Good, as I told him, this isn't hurting me, it's hurting your people. We also have one more _Atlantis_ class destroyer yet to arrive. She should have been here by now."

Laura's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the name of the last ship to arrive. It was too much of a coincidence for her liking.

Mair held up a finger then activated her comm, 'Harris.'

_'Yes, ma'am?'_

'Send a message to Admiralty asking about the ETA for that last destroyer.'

_'On it.'_

'And let me know their answer.'

_'Yes, ma'am.'_

Mair turned her attention back to Laura, "I'm sorry about that."

"It's all right," Laura smiled, but let her eyes stray to the image on the wall. _I wonder if Bill has any books on the ancient Kobol myths_, she wondered.

Another tone sounded which made Mair shake her head. "I'm sorry, ma'am," she commented as she reached for the comm again. 'O'Neill.'

_'Ma'am, is the meal in 50?'_

Mair glanced over to her clock then back to the monitor, 'Affirmative, XO. I want you to contact Glennan and have her report to my at sea cabin in 30, along with the Colonial officer that left with her.'

_'Yes, ma'am.'_

Mair drummed her fingers on her desk before turning her attention back to Roslin. The Colonial President was looking at her with an amused look. "Madam President, I have scheduled a short tour of the _Ddoraig Goch_, and then a meal. I do hope the officer that came with you can attend."

Laura nodded, "He should be able. He's also the officer that Lieutenant Glennan has been working with since she came on board."

"Even better," Mair muttered.

"Captain, I had one other officer accompany me. She piloted the raptor here. I would request that she, and possibly our liaison also attend."

Mair thought about the request for a moment then decided that they could come.

TBC...


	26. Chapter 26

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 26  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel & Elly  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-six_**

Angela pulled the last of her clothing out of the locker located beside her rack and set it on the chair. On the deck was her seabag, open and ready to receive more of her personal items - already a third of the way full.

'You can turn on the lights,' Becky commented from behind the curtain in her rack.

'Since you're awake, you might as well get up and help. Don't worry, I've got the door open only a crack,' added Angela commented as she put the next layer of clothing in her seabag.

'Darn,' came the muffled answer.

Angela rolled her eyes at her roommate. Becky pushed the curtain to the side while getting up then disappeared into the head. When she emerged, she was wearing a tank top along with a pair of shorts. Going to the door, she flipped the lights on then handed over several items she retrieved while in the head. 'What happened to your hand?' Becky asked as her eyes trained on the bandage covering her hand.

Angela looked down, she had completely forgotten about it being wrapped up. She answered grasping the small package Becky held out to her. 'Stress, and not having this made me try and beat up their ship. It didn't work.'

Becky's face dropped letting a slow smile creep across her face. 'You mean you didn't play rough with anyone over there?'

Angela rolled her eyes at the obvious innuendo, giving a rude gesture, then set the medication with her other toiletries that were missed the first time around on her rack beside the expanding bag.

'You know something, they've been jealous all up and down the corridor of me.'

'How's that?' Angela nestled a framed picture in between several layers of clothing.

'I've had the cabin all to myself, that's why,' Becky smiled as she plopped onto her rack. Her eyes eventually strayed to the other rack. 'Oh, you're taking your blanket?'

'Like you should know? You know something. . .I found you underneath it when I started packing.'

Becky grinned. 'You gotta admit, it is warm.'

'But it's not yours. You know I did wonder why it didn't come over with the original delivery. If they were marines, they would know to make sure to pack it.' Turning to her friend she put her hands on her hips and looked at her with a questioning look.

Becky shrugged. 'You do know it gets a bit chilly at night.'

'Well, if you really want to know, it's already packed. That was the first thing I put in my seabag after pulling it from your rack.'

'You know, I'm going to miss that.'

'Then get your own,' Angela countered as she pulled open the bottom drawer on her side of the desk.

'But I'm not Scot,' she whined. 'And I don't have that kind of money.'

'Not my problem,' Angela grinned to herself as she reached down and pulled out an old style backpack. She set it on the desk then returned to retrieving her things out of the other drawers. 'Since you mentioned being by yourself, I've got the same over there.' Angela straightened then looked around for the next piece of clothing to be packed.

'Which is?'

'I don't know what to do, they've got me in VIP quarters. It's at least twice the size of a single occupant, and its own head.' Angela sighed. 'I'm in security, why would they do this?' she asked.

'Maybe because they think you're important?' Becky quickly put a civilian garment in the seabag while Angela was busy with the items in the desk.

'Becky, please remove that. I'm not going to need it.'

The dirty blonde hair woman looked up then unashamedly reached down to put another set of civilian clothing in the bag. This time it was a nice dress.

'What am I going to do with you?' Angela asked herself.

'Nothing, because once I leave this room I outrank you,' Becky answered with a large smile on her face.

'I know that. I just want to know what I am going to do with you.' Angela finally gave up and let her roommate have her way. 'You might as well finish it off.'

'Why thank you!' A smile spread across Becky's face when she finally noticed the bag on the desk while packing some shoes. 'Looks like you're going to do some training. Is it a long term assignment the skipper's got you on?'

'I'm not sure, but yeah, I am training them. Their marines only know brute force. She also made me the liaison. Don't know why, though.'

Becky's smile widened. 'Ohh, marines. . .are they cute?'

Angela shook her head in amusement, 'Marines are marines anywhere you go.'

'So, is there one outside?' Becky got up and moved towards the door.

'No, there is not one outside.' Angela knelt down and started packing her toiletries. While there, she looked up from her crouched position on the other side of the seabag, and then back down again as she put another set of BDU's in the bag. 'Listen, Becky. I'm in a hurry and Felix is waiting.' Angela closed her eyes while realizing her mistake. _Crap!_

'Felix, hm?' Becky answered with a wide grin on her face. 'You know, I _have_ to meet him.'

'Wait!' Angela reached out to stop the higher ranked officer, but she was too quick and bounced out and into the corridor. 'Damn it, Becky!'

'What?' the blonde answered innocently while dragging Gaeta into the cabin. Confusion and surprise fought for dominance over his face. She was talking so fast it sounded like gibberish even to Angela.

'Becky, he can't understand you,' Angela stood up and clipped the bag closed. She could tell Gaeta was now very uncomfortable and wanted to retreat back to the relative safety of the corridor. For a moment frustration got the better of her, and she pulled Becky physically away from him and put herself in between them. 'He's also a Colonial officer and the one I've been working with.'

Becky's pout turned into a wide grin. 'Convenient. . .'

Not even wanting to go there, Angela went back over to her seabag and flipped it onto her shoulder then grabbed the backpack. 'I don't know when I'll be back, so be good!' She then pushed Gaeta out ahead of her while trying to ignore the peals of laughter that now came from the cabin. 'I swear. . .' she grumbled through gritted teeth. Casting a glance to the side, she couldn't help but tell he was relieved to get out of there. "I sorry," she apologized for Becky's uncouth behavior.

'Who was that?'

Angela looked up, surprised that she was able to understand his question. She realized why when she caught sight of the pda. 'My roommate, Becky Tolliver.' The trip to the next destination was relatively quiet. This time, by happenstance, they stayed on the same level. It was only several twisting corridors away. Stepping inside, she let the pack slide from her shoulders then placed the smaller backpack onto the desk she used. Turning around she said, "I need pda."

Gaeta nodded, handing it over. Before his earlier rude shock, he had been messing around with it, not quite sure what he was doing, but he was surprised at how easy it was to get the translation program up and running. Even with the simplicity of the setup he considered that a major achievement.

Angela pulled up the walkie-talkie function again. She placed it on the desk then went around the joiner walls to another small office. 'Commander Stuart, sir?'

'Back already, Lieutenant?' her security chief asked.

'No, sir. Training manuals. Where are the digital ones?'

'Cabinet to the left of the desk, bottom drawer.' He paused before continuing, 'Any reason why you're asking about them?'

'Training. Their security is woefully inadequate. I was on one of their civilian ships and I don't remember seeing any type of police force. I bet that means they're having to use marines.'

'Ouch. They would need a crash course in handling civilians. And,' he smiled as he continued, 'At least you're not going to lose your edge. Take what you need, I'll sign off on it and let the skipper know.'

'Thank you, sir,' she ended the conversation and saluted. When he returned it she went back around to her own office and filing cabinet.

'Lieutenant, make sure all planetary references are purged from whatever you give them,' Stuart's muffled voice came through the ventilation shaft between the walls.

'Yes, sir,' Angela answered loud enough for him to hear while kneeling down to open the drawer. Going through the various files, she chose specific ones so she could convert them over to the Colonial language then print them out. She would have them returned in her next trip to the ship. Moving to another cabinet, Angela placed her hand in a specified area and waited. About ten seconds later, the security verified both her hand print and DNA then opened up what turned out to be a weapons locker.

"Glennan? What are you doing?" Gaeta came up behind her. Before he could place a hand on her shoulder, she grabbed a nasty looking knife and turned brandishing the weapon. He hastily backed up a few steps to get away from Glennan's range of motion and stumbled over her seabag. The wall stopped his backwards momentum, but he still slid to the floor. He was more worried about what could happen to him with that knife than him being sprawled on the deck. Memories of what she did to Baltar were still fresh in his mind. Suddenly her serious expression changed to concern as she moved over to his position. Seeing that he was all right her look transformed once more, but now into an impish grin when she took the knife and bent it then ran it against her arm. 'Training weapon.' Placing it on the desk she went back and retrieved several others. "Marines have. . .no. . .need train."

Gaeta nodded slowly while standing back up. He was not sure if he should accept her word on that or not.

Taking the pda, Angela thought a moment before writing something down. "Listen, your marines need training in how to deal with a civilian that has a knife. Barging in with guns blazing will _not_ work. It will only make the suspect more wary and more likely to use what they have. They need to know how to disarm someone like that and not kill them in the process." Putting the pda down for a moment, she then grasped the training knife and handed it over to him for inspection. "I would like to bring this and a few other training aids to help. They are at a huge disadvantage when dealing with civilians. Another thing is that your marines need to instill trust with the civilians. Once that is done, you have won half the battle."

The comm. rang suddenly as he was looking over it. Glancing back she saw Gaeta looking around for the sound of the sudden noise. Turning her attention back to it, Angela rolled her eyes. _They always seem to know exactly where I'm at_, she bemoaned. Reaching out to the instruments on the desk she flipped the channel open. 'Glennan.'

_'XO. You need to be at the skipper's at sea cabin in 30 along with the Colonial officers.'_

'Sir, I have one with me. I'm not sure where the liaison and pilot are at the moment. I left them in the pilot's ready room.'

_'Find them.'_

Angela rolled her eyes, but answered, 'Yes, sir. We will all be there in 30.'

Glancing to her seabag she knew she would not be able to take it to the raptor and back in time. Letting a tight smile cross her face, she reactivated the pda since it went to standby mode. 'Spencer and Jackson, I need you in my office, ASAP.'

She turned her attention back to the cabinet and the training weapons. Underneath the case was a drawer that held various colored chalk that was used with certain hand weapons. Looking through them, she found two that would work and put those on the desk. When she felt she had everything she needed, she closed both the drawer and the cabinet. It locked automatically.

"What was that about?"

'Stuff,' she commented as she opened her hand while looking at the knife Gaeta still held. When she physically indicated the knife, he nodded and handed it over, but confusion still spread across his face from her comment. Angela thought for a moment of what she could possibly do to help him. Raising a finger, she went back to the filing cabinet and opened a different drawer. While she was searching through the files the two marines she called stepped into the room. 'Spencer and Jackson reporting as ordered, ma'am.'

Angela smiled to herself but commented, 'Stand easy. There's something I need to find first.'

'Yes, ma'am,' the two marines answered.

Gaeta looked at the Terran marines. They now seemed completely relaxed and had grins on their faces. It was almost like they were glad to see her.

'Found it,' she muttered as she pulled out another program. 'Now if only I can have that loner on a permanent loan,' she muttered as she began stuffing the different items in her backpack. 'I'm glad to see both of you are alive and well,' she commented.

'Yes, ma'am,' Spencer answered. 'We've missed you.'

'Well, you can show your appreciation of that by having my seabag and backpack taken to the raptor in the lower hanger on ell-three. Don't worry, you won't miss it, it's like nothing you've ever seen before.' She smiled as she brought the now filled small bag over to the two marines and handed it to Jackson.

'Thanks, ma'am. You know, this is what I've always wanted,' Spencer answered with amusement as he went over to the seabag.

'Thought so,' she patted him on the shoulder while leaving the room.

When Gaeta caught up with her, she apologized, "I'm sorry. It's just that I am on a very tight schedule and don't have the time to explain everything to you. I hope you understand."

He nodded. "After what we did to you without realizing, and with me being here, I now understand what you had to deal with. It has been very educational."

"Don't worry. I made sure to procure some English grammar lessons. It's geared towards any language so I can easily input yours into it. That should help you learn the language."

Switching back to the walkie-talkie, she spoke again, 'Lovett.'

_'Go ahead.'_

'Those two Colonial officers.'

_'Wait. . .pilots again. This time in the dirty shirt ward room.'_

'All right, thanks.' She hesitated then made another call, 'XO?'

_'Yes?'_

'Sir, I'm on my way to retrieve the Colonial officers.' Angela glanced at the time before continuing, 'I will be there on time.'

_'Roger.'_

"You can find anyone at any time?" Gaeta asked when he figured out what she just did. His appraisal of the small computer was improving by the minute. _To be able to get that sort of thing done that quickly would make life so much easier on the_ _Galactica_, he thought to himself.

Angela looked at him a moment before nodding her head. "I need to retrieve Thrace and the liaison. We will then meet up with the captain and President Roslin in the captain's cabin. First though, I need to get my pda."

Gaeta looked at his watch, surprised that much time had already passed.

"I will ask Ferguson, and then the skipper if I can have this one on a permanent loan." Angela held up the computer they had both been using since coming on board. Turning, they both went in another direction. When they stopped Gaeta thought he recognized the corridor for a moment, but shrugged it off. He felt like he had been all over the ship in the short time he had been there.

'Ferguson?' Angela called as she stepped back inside the office. 'What did you find out?'

'Ma'am,' he answered while turning around to retrieve the pda. 'You were right about the hard drive being wiped. I was able to save most of the files, but a few were corrupted beyond our ability to reconstruct them.'

'Only a few?' she asked as he handed over the pda.

'Yes, ma'am,' he answered. 'It didn't take long to get the programs back up and running, including the translation one.'

'Thank you. You have no idea how hard it is not being able to communicate.' Angela closed her eyes in relief.

'How long?'

'About a day and a half, or something like that.' She hesitated before continuing. 'I would, though, like to have this loaner. Not as a backup, but so he can learn English.' Angela pointed backwards with her thumb over her shoulder towards Gaeta.

Ferguson looked at the Colonial officer for a moment then nodded. Turning around once again, he pulled open one of the many drawers that lined the walls. Delving his hand into it, he pulled out several batteries and a charger similar to the one Angela used. Closing that drawer, he opened another one and pulled out a cradle. 'Think you have enough hands?' he asked as he set everything on the desk including her instillation discs.

Angela let a smile cross her face before shaking her head. 'No, but that doesn't matter. If I stay here any longer I'll be running late.' As she backed up, Ferguson stood up and saluted her. While answering it she commented, 'Get Spencer up here for it.'

'What do I tell him?' Ferguson asked as she was leaving.

'That it goes with what I'm taking,' she threw over her shoulder.

When they turned a corner she stopped and threw her arms around him, half in relief and half in giddiness that it wasn't as bad as she thought it was. Her innocent relief turned into something else and they quickly backed away from each other, not quite sure what had happened.

'Sorry,' she mumbled as she turned and started moving back down the corridor now blushing furiously.

Gaeta stood there, stunned. Quickly recovering, he caught up with her before she turned the corner but remained at a cautionary distance. He knew if he lost sight of her he would be hopelessly lost.

Switching her pda to her good hand, Angela flexed her bandaged hand for a moment to stop the twinge that started up. This time the trip was taken at a brisk walk that bordered on a jog. When they stopped she indicated the door and the plate with words engraved on it before speaking, 'Wardroom No. 1.'

The door was closed, which Angela thought was odd. Grasping the simple doorknob she pulled it open revealing a whole bunch of officers and noncoms along with the two Colonial Officers. Most of the Terrans were wearing jumpsuit type coveralls. Kara was with the pilots in an apparent engrossing conversation, while the other, she had yet to learn his name, was with the officers. Looking to Gaeta, Angela indicated the Colonial liaison. "Name?"

"Agathorn."

Nodding, she turned to address the group. 'Agathorn and Thrace. I need you to come with me.'

The two Colonial officers turned and looked at Angela, not quite sure what she wanted. The pilots were slowly backing away from Kara as if they did not want to even be seen by her. After writing it out, she repeated her request, as she saw it, "Agathorn and Thrace. I need you to come with me."

Helo looked at her with curiosity as he moved across the room. Kara, though, seemed to be studying the Terran liaison openly. Just as she reached them she turned back around while grinning, and winked at the pilots.

"So, where are we going?" Kara asked.

Even though it wasn't translated, Angela had a good idea of what the Colonial pilot asked. "We are to meet up with the Captain and President Roslin in the at captain's cabin." Finishing, Angela shifted the pda to her other hand and attempted to shake out the cramps that were beginning to flair up in her damaged hand.

"Are you all right?" Kara asked, now concerned.

Angela shrugged her shoulders. "I good." The way she took them, though, was through a winding maze of corridors. "We go fast. Only way," Angela explained as she climbed a ladder to reach the next level. They arrived at their destination a minute early. The two Colonial marines were separated, guarding the door leading into the office and the one just down the pway. Even though there were few higher ranked officers that used the corridor, they still looked warily at everyone that passed by. Whey they saw the group coming, they visibly relaxed, relieved to see someone they recognized. Entering the main office, Angela saluted smartly.

'You're right on time, Lieutenant,' Mair commented, most of her attention, though, was on Roslin. The Colonial President had moved over to the wall and was looking through one of the books on the shelf.

'Thank you, ma'am.'

'Everything taken care of?'

'Yes.' Angela nodded then glanced to the officers that were with her. From there she turned her attention to the only other occupant. She recognized Captain Donelson from her years at the academy.

"I am sorry about the wait, but my XO has not arrived yet. When he gets here, we can get something to eat."

'Ma'am?' Angela asked with some confusion.

'Glennan, it is my prerogative to give you the chance to dine with the rest of us.'

Angela gave her a sad smile while nodding.

Getting up, Mair moved around the desk slowly then placed a hand on her shoulder, 'But, there are some things I can do without them breathing down my neck. So, but not yet, I will be giving you a field promotion up to where you should be.'

'Thank you, but I don't think that's necessary, ma'am. I don't think it will stick.'

'Who knows?' Mair gave her a smile. She was about to say something else, but the side door opened and O'Bryan stepped inside.

Mair gave him a stern look while commenting, 'You're late.'

'Sorry, ma'am,' he answered while saluting. 'Just making sure everything was set up.'

Mair nodded then turned her attention back to Laura. "Ma'am?"

The Colonial President turned around with a question in her eyes. "Yes?"

"If you could, dinner is ready."

Laura nodded as she turned back around and slid the book back in place. What she had found only raised more questions in who these Terrans were, though she had a gut feeling that there was much more information than what she found and that she would know the answers to the questions. It was just that O'Neill was unwilling to divulge any of it.

Instead of going out the entrance, Mair directed them through the same door the XO used. It was just an easier way to get to the Captain's Mess. Inside there was a medium size table in the center covered with a white linen tablecloth. The china dishware had the ships crest emblazoned in the center. The walls were decorated with prints of various ships, whether they be from the current generation, or from the naval tradition. Not all of the prints were of ships, some were of the aircraft traditions that started in the Twentieth Century. The drinking vessels along with the silverware were tastefully placed on the table with a decoration of yellow flowers in a opaque crystal vase in the center to give a splash of color to the richly decorated room.

Laura looked over the setting while nodding.

"Ma'am, if you will?" Mair directed Laura to one end of the table but shook her head. Positioning herself at the other end, Mair had the two groups dispersed among each other with the ship's XO on her right, and the fleet's XO on Roslin's right. By chance or design Angela was seated across from Gaeta and Kara was beside her. That was the last thing she wanted. They were not completely interspersed, but it couldn't be helped since she had Jack seated beside her.

When they were all seated and before the petty officers arrived, several of the Terrans bowed their heads for a moment. When they raised their heads, the officers came through a back door and began serving the group.

"Captain, I didn't know you had this early a lunch?" Laura commented as she watched the first course being served.

"Ma'am, it's not lunch. This is dinner. We are several hours ahead of your fleet time." Drawing her attention to Angela and her pda, she continued, 'Lieutenant, don't worry about that. I will translate.'

'Yes, ma'am,' she answered.

Mair looked towards the door into the kitchen, 'Lieutenant Wroth?'

'Yes, ma'am,' one of the stewards came out.

'Could you take Lieutenant Glennan's pda and put it in a safe place for now?'

'Yes, ma'am,' he answered while retrieving the small computer.

'Thank you,' Angela commented while handing the instrument over.

When he disappeared Mair looked across the table and decoration to the Colonial President. "I believe you would like to know who I have invited."

"That would be nice," Laura countered while studying her.

_You're reading me as any politician would,_ Mair thought as she began her introductions. When finished she sat back, hoping that Roslin would give her the same courtesy. The Colonial President was by no means required do it.

Laura looked at the different Terran officers, seeing if she could read them. Not getting anything of value she decided to return the favor and introduce the officers with her. When finished, she was reminded of the dinner she had with Bill early on in their flight. Things were similar, but very different at the same time. She did notice how O'Neill was looking very critically at Major Gaeta. The Terran leaned over to her XO and said something quietly while glancing back to Gaeta.

"Madam President, it seems Lieutenant Thrace seems extremely interested in the dinner service," Mair commented.

Laura looked to Kara and then glanced to the other officers. When she finally did speak she seemed to choose her words carefully, "It seems, Captain, that by happenstance or design the creature on your ship's crest is almost the same from our own myths."

_Shit, she's close and will figure everything out soon_, Mair thought. "I'm impressed," she answered. "But I cannot answer your comments at this time. It would probably take an in-depth look at our different histories to find out how similar or dissimilar the myths really are," she attempted to sidestep the issue. "Now, Major Gaeta might be able to answer my own question."

Gaeta looked up in surprise to first Mair and then Laura, not quite sure if he should answer. Getting an almost imperceptible nod from Roslin, he turned back to Mair and answered, "I'm not sure if I can or not."

"It's not difficult. My fleet XO, though, is curious at how you were able to detect his ship."

Gaeta looked down quickly. He was not about to give away any of their abilities, though he found it was very interesting. This was something he would have to tell Admiral Adama when they got back to the _Galactica_.

"Major?" Mair asked, trying to get his attention.

"I'm sorry," he answered as he looked up again. "It is rather complicated. Basically, we were able to pick it up against the backdrop of the M8 Astral body." It was close to what they did, but not exactly the events.

Mair gave a wan smile, knowing that was the best she would get. _They need some way to protect themselves_, she thought. Still she relayed what she found to Donelson.

'That's all he's going to say?' Mark asked.

'XO, if our positions were reversed, what would you do?'

'Right,' he answered with a sigh. Glancing to the side, he saw that Gaeta's eyes had strayed over towards Glennan then just as quickly looked in another direction as if he were ignoring the liaison.

The rest of the meal went smoothly and when finished they rose and started filing out of the room, this time to the pway.

'Lieutenant Glennan,' Wroth came from the galley carrying the pda.

'Thank you,' she nodded as she accepted her computer back. Balancing it on her wrist she made sure that everything was there. She had stopped using it during the dinner because the pain had greatly intensified.

"Glennan."

Angela turned around and looked at Gaeta warily while nodding.

"Here." He handed over the medication the med. tech gave him that morning. He had only just remembered that he still had it with him when he saw her greatly favoring her damaged hand.

She knew he wouldn't give her anything that would hurt her, plus she could tell it was medication. Nodding she opened her hand and let him drop the pills into it. She grimaced then quickly swallowed them down with some water. Looking back around, she saw he had already left the room and was waiting in the pway for the rest of the group.

Mair looked at Glennan with marked interested. She knew Angela wouldn't accept any type of pills without questioning the person first unless she already had a good idea of the other's character. She understood there had to be at least some trust that has been established since she had gone over.

When most everyone had exited the room, Mair stood up slowly. Her own problems had started up during the meal, but she was able to hide it since she was sitting down. Getting up and moving across the room, though, would be a challenge. She stood up slowly, while bracing herself against the table. Good thing that most, if not all the crystal, had been cleared from the table. The service was of very high quality, and she didn't want to break anything by accident. Removing her hands, she balanced precariously for a moment before attempting a step. She knew it was a bad decision when she stumbled and smacked her leg against one of the chairs. The overwhelming pain made her cry out as she collapsed to the deck.

'Skipper,' Jack came back into the room and knelt beside her. 'Why didn't you tell me?' he asked as he helped her to sit up.

'I was too busy trying to read the Colonials,' she mumbled her answer. 'Also, get Mark in here. I want him to escort them back to the hanger.'

'Yes, ma'am,' Jack answered as he stood up. Making sure she was stable he went to the gathering group. All the Colonials had confused looks on their faces, not sure what was going on.

'Captain Donelson, the skipper wants you to escort our guests back to the hanger.'

'Will she be all right?' he asked.

'In a few days. She hit her leg pretty hard.'

'Ouch. All right, I will.' He turned and used his hand to indicate the direction they should go. He knew the main pways of the ship, and could get them to the hanger that way, but it would take longer than the hodgepodge secondary pways.

'Jack,' Mair almost whispered.

'Yes,' he asked as he picked her up.

'I want you to send a message to Admiralty on the condition of the Colonials. If they have someone that young as an executive officer you know they're in bad straits.'

'That's what I was thinking when he was introduced.'

* * *

Sergeant Hadrian walked into CIC with a report in hand. Looking around she spotted Adama down near the commander's station and immediately moved towards him. "Sir," she said as she saluted. "You were wanting me to report to you when everything was finished." 

Adama turned around and looked at the marine sergeant, she seemed very uncomfortable. "What did you find?"

She sighed as she handed over the report. "It's gone, sir. There are no signs of it at all in the lab or his cabin," she answered quietly.

_Frak._ Adama looked up to the DRADIS screen. He could see the raptor just as it left the Terran vessel. "Dee, send a message. Have Starbuck bring them back right away." He paused before continuing, "And launch the Alert vipers."

"Sir?" Dee asked in confusion. She quickly went about her tasks when he turned and looked at her.

"Launching Alert vipers," she announced.

"Have them wait until the Terran fighters turn away. They are then to escort the raptor back to the _Galactica_."

"Yes, sir."

Picking up the handset, Adama keyed it to the cockpits of all the ships in the fleet. "This is the Admiral. Fleet dispersion pattern Beta. We are having a bomb drill and testing the proper distance between civilian ships."

Closing the channel, he looked back up to the DRADIS screen. Soon the vessels were spreading out, to hopefully mitigate any damage that might happen if there was an explosion.

* * *

"They called us _Colonial One_," Starbuck mumbled. Looking to the side she saw how Laura was shaking her head. 

"And I always thought my ship was designated that. They think that whatever ship a leader is on, then it is given that designation. Interesting." She sat back and looked at the fleet before her. It was back lit by the roiling colors of the cloud. Looking back to Kara, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. Turning farther, she smiled when she saw Glennan now asleep, but leaning up against Gaeta. The young officer seemed to be letting off vibes that said he didn't want to be where he was. "Lieutenant Thrace," she said quietly as she turned back around. "I want you to look behind you."

Kara looked to Laura for a moment then back to the ECM area. Turning back she commented with a grin, "They were ignoring each other during that meal."

"You saw that, too?" Laura asked.

"Yes, ma'am. About as noticeable as someone standing up and yelling 'look at me'."

_"Raptor 012, this is _Galactica," Dee's voice came over the speaker.

"_Galactica_, this is Starbuck, reading you loud and clear."

_"Galactica Actual wants you to continue on your present course land in the port flight bay right away. You will be escorted by the Alert vipers."_

Starbuck furrowed her brow in confusion before answering. "Aye, aye." Turning to Laura she continued, "This is not right. Something has happened."

* * *

'Something's happened,' Jack commented while standing before the hi-definition screen. The refugee fleet was spreading out and the two military vessels had pulled away to a somewhat safe distance. 

'Sir,' Harris started. 'Their two capital's? They've launched their fighters.'

'Damn,' Jack muttered as he went over to look at Harris's instrumentation. 'Have you picked up anything?'

'No, sir. It's almost like whatever it is, is inside the fleet.'

TBC...


	27. Chapter 27

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 27  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-seven_**

Starbuck's landing was textbook quality, but no one stopped to consider it. Pulling off the restraints she moved quickly to the back and said quietly, "The Old Man wants you in CIC yesterday."

Gaeta's eyes widened slightly as he began removing his own restraints. Turning, he went to wake Angela up, but Kara stopped him. "Don't worry about her. I'll make sure she gets to her cabin."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he fumbled with the release mechanism to open the raptor. Just as it opened, he turned back around. "Thrace, whatever you do, do not make her feel threatened."

Kara gave him a winning smile, "Of course not."

"This is your only warning, Thrace. Take it or leave it." Turning back around, he jumped to the deck and left in a brisk jog.

"What was that about?" Laura asked.

"Just a friendly warning." Kara answered with a gleam in her eyes. Turning back, she moved to the side to give both the marines and Laura room to exit the raptor. In the back corner were three bags with her name stenciled on the side. Those would be retrieved later, right now she had the job of geting her to her quarters. "Time to go, sleepyhead," she muttered as she first released her restraints and then pulled the Terran to her feet. Letting her go, she was first worried if she would stay standing, but found out fairly quickly that Angela was lucid enough to keep her balance.

"Okay, don't make her feel threatened," she mumbled as she got out on to the leading wing that was used as a ramp.

"Ma'am, is she all right?" Jensan asked as he came up.

"She was given medication for her hand, Jensan," Kara commented as she stepped out onto the wing.

"Ma'am, do you want us to help?"

Kara looked over and found another marine had joined Jensan. They had caught sight of Angela. "That would help a lot," she answered as she jumped down.

Once she was down on the deck, Kara told them to bring the three bags in the raptor to Glennan's cabin. When she received their salutes she turned her attention back to Angela and started steering her out of the hanger. The journey to her cabin turned into an interesting ordeal until they got to its general area. At that point Kara found she didn't have to physically direct her, she seemed to be able to find it without thinking. "Interesting," she muttered when they stopped in front of her cabin.

Without even thinking, Glennan took the wheel locking mechanism and fumbled with it for a few moments trying to figure out how it worked. Kara thought the Terran was quite amusing in her drugged state. Eventually, she reached out and began to push her to the side so she could open the door. Suddenly, Kara found herself pinned against the bulkhead and immobile. _What the frak happened_, she thought to herself. The position she was in did not permit her to do anything without experiencing a lot of pain. Glennan should not have been able to do what she had just done in her condition. "Don't make her feel threatened, right. Got'cha," Kara mumbled. "Glennan, it's me, Thrace. You've talked to me before," she said in as calm a voice she could muster. Turning her attention further down the corridor, Thrace saw the two marines slow and look warily at the situation.

Angela saw them, also. The sight of them cleared her mind somewhat and she released Kara, then backed away. 'Sorry,' she mumbled, half apologizing for what had just happened.

Once released, Kara shook the arm that had been pinned, and very effectively too, she noted, while glaring at the marines who were now smirking at the situation. _That was not funny_, she thought to herself, but she knew it was her fault. Gaeta had warned her. _Something must have happened to him for him to warn her. I wonder what it was,_ she thought. Now, though, she could open the door without any interference from the Terran liaison. Just as she was opening it, the marines joined them.

"I'll be back when ready," she told them as she finished pulling the door open.

"Yes, ma'am."

Once open, Angela stepped inside and began pulling of her clothes.

"Good thing I was right," Kara muttered as she pulled the door closed. Turning back around, she noticed that none of it hit the deck, but were all draped across a chair. Once finished, Angela crawled into the rack and was instantly asleep.

"Must be some heavy duty stuff that life station gave her," Kara muttered again as she pulled the blankets up to cover Angela's mostly nude figure.

Turning back around, she went and opened the door and let the marines bring in Glennan's bags. Once they were gone, Kara noted that she seemed more amenable to certain stimuli. She didn't have time to really think about it, she needed to get back to the pilots ready room and get her flight suit on.

* * *

Gaeta stepped into CIC slightly out of breath. He didn't exactly run, but he did travel at a fast clip. Listening to the chatter around him and the crew's attitude, he quickly picked up that they were not at Condition One, maybe Two, but definitely not One. 

"Sir?" he asked as he came up to the commander's station. "I got here as quickly as I could."

Adama looked towards Hadrian, then turned back to Gaeta and handed him a sheet of paper. "This is the inventory of the vice president's lab and cabin."

Gaeta scanned down the inventory, not sure of what he was looking for. With the first run-through he knew something was missing, but could not quite place what it was. With a slower and closer look he immediately knew what it was. "Frak," he cursed quietly as he turned around.

"My thoughts exactly."

"What do we do, sir?" Gaeta handed the list back.

Adama looked to Hadrian. "I want you to have the marines assist the engineering and weapons departments in their search of the ship. We will take care of the other vessels."

"Yes, sir." She saluted then turned on her heals and quickly left the room.

"Get me Pegasus Actual." Adama moved towards Dee's station. "And on the scramble," he finished quietly.

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"Tigh,"

_"Yes, sir?"_ the new commander's voice came across almost jovial.

"I want you to have Garner search for anything unusual. He doesn't need to do an in-depth, he just needs go into all areas with a detector."

Tigh hesitated for a moment before answering, _"Say again?"_

"You have your orders."

_"Yes, sir."_

Adama disconnected the line and put the receiver back in its position at the table.

"Sir, they need to know," Gaeta commented quietly.

"I know." Adama sighed. "And I'm the one that gave it to him," he mumbled.

"Sir, it's not your fault. None of us saw this coming."

Adama shook his head while closing his eyes. "This is more than just a drill. We are searching for a missing warhead," he announced. "I want the raptors launched and have them scan the civilian ships. I want to retrieve it before whoever has it has a chance to set it off."

The crew in the CIC stood there quietly, not sure what to do, then quickly snapped back into action.

"XO, I want your thoughts on the Terrans, but not now."

"Yes, sir." For a moment Gaeta's eyes strayed towards the empty tactical station. _I really need to get that position filled_, he thought. For now, it was all right to leave it unmanned.

"Sir, we're receiving a signal from the Terrans," Dee commented as she worked her board. "They're wanting to know if there is a problem."

Adama glanced to Gaeta for a moment before picking up the handset again. "Put them through."

"Yes, sir."

_"Admiral, do you need any assistance?"_ O'Neill's fatigued voice came across the speaker.

"No, Captain. Everything is well in hand. We are conducting a fleet exercise." He brushed it off. "I can give you additional information after the conclusion of the drill." When the line disconnected, he looked back up to the DRADIS to see the raptors now launched and going throughout the fleet. If the warhead was live, the _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ would have picked it up a long time ago. They weren't sure if it was not live, or only taken apart.

"Raptors have begun scanning the civilian ships," Kelly announced.

"Have them continue until it's found."

The whole process was laboriously slow. For a time Adama thought that the nuke might only be displaced, but Hadrian had come back soon enough and reported that it was not on board and no radiological alarms were set off near the lab or his cabin. Tigh also had called back eventually and reported that the _Pegasus_ was clean. That meant it was somewhere within the civilian ships.

"Sir? I am receiving a message from Racetrack."

"Put her on."

_"Sir, I got a blip on my scanners when we came up to _Cloud Nine_. I did several more in-depth scans to triangulate its position to make sure."_

"What did you find?"

_"Sir, it seems to be located in the central hull in the area of the civilian cabins."_

Adama handed the headset back to Dee. "Call the search off, and Hadrian up here."

"Yes, sir," she answered.

Gaeta looked to Dee for a moment as if he were remembering something. "Sir, you might want to have the marines that Glennan has been doing informal training sessions with sent over for the retrieval."

"Your reasons?"

"Glennan told me when we were over on the Terran vessel that they need to know how to disarm a civilian that could easily have a knife. I think she is right. They're now having to deal with issues beyond what they were originally trained for. It's more in line with police types of enforcement." For a moment he remembered how she had completely surprised him in her office. To be confronted with a knife was an unnerving experience, even if it did turn out to be completely harmless.

"I see," Adama seemed to think it over.

When Hadrian stepped back into CIC a marine was trailing behind her. Adama turned to her, "_Cloud Nine_."

"Yes, sir," she answered.

"And take some of Glennan's students along with a weapons tech."

Hadrian looked at him startled then thoughtfully before accepting the order. "Yes, sir."

"Have them do everything in their power to make sure no one is hurt, civilians included."

"I understand, sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

"Sir," Hadrian started. "Hawkins saw the vice president on _Cloud Nine._"

_Good._ "I want you also to have him arrested and brought back to the _Galactica._"

"Yes, sir." She smiled as she saluted, then turned around and left the command center to get her marines ready.

* * *

The arrival of marines on _Cloud Nine_, wasn't unusual, but them being armed and nothing really important going on made the civilians around them very nervous. They had very similar reactions when boarding the raptors to go retrieve the nuke. Most, if not all, of the deck gang still thought of it as a training exercise. When several of the marines came in full tactical gear, it was realized that whatever it was, was not a game. 

Pulling out a detector, Hadrian had two marines and the weapons tech follow her, the rest would stay with the raptors until the nuke was safely retrieved, while sealing off the hanger to all outgoing and incoming traffic. Only then when it was secured and on its way back to the _Galactica_ would they go and retrieve the vice president.

Deep within the civilian cabins the detector finally picked up a faint trace of the nuke. Once on the trail, it didn't take long until they were able to pinpoint which cabin it was stashed in. With quick movements, they disabled the locking mechanism and opened the door.

Spreading out, the marines began searching the cabin. In the bedroom area not only was the nuke found, but also the known cylon that went by the name Gina. She was almost comatose on the bed.

Stepping back into the common area, Hadrian went over to the comm. She had to contact Adama because they had a very sick cylon on their hands. "Sir, we have retrieved it, but have a situation," she started when he got on the line. Looking at the tech she indicated with her head that he was free to go and check the status of the warehead.

_"Which is?"_

"I need to have a medic team sent over."

_"Where are you?"_

"Level 5, Corridor 10, aft section, ninth cabin on the right."

_"Seal off the area until they arrive."_

"Yes, sir," she answered, then disconnected the line. As she was turning around the rest of the marines showed up. These were only armed with a single hand weapon each. They found that the civilians weren't as nervous around them if they were armed this way, than if they were packing.

Once the nuke was on its way back to the _Galactica_, Hadrian sealed the cabin and left a pair of minimally armed marines to make sure it was secure. They were to only let the medic team inside, and report everything else. The rest of the marines headed out of the civilian cabin area to look for Baltar.

They found him in the cafe talking with several of his supporters. The minimally armed marines followed behind her as they came up to his table then fanned out. "Vice President Baltar, could you come with me?" she masked the thinly veiled command as a request.

"What is this?" he asked petulantly.

"Sir, could you come with me?" she repeated as if her were a child.

"I will not. I have just as much right to be in this cafe as the next person," he huffed.

Dropping the mask, she reached over and pulled him to his feet. "I am placing you under arrest for the unauthorized removal of military hardware from the _Galactica_."

"It's not my fault!" Baltar tried to back away from both her and the table.

"You just happened to stumble across it being taken?" Hadrian asked, her voice clearly showed that she did not believe him.

"Yes," he nodded profusely.

Ignoring him, Hadrian went over to the public comm. unit and had the rest of the marines report to their present location.

"You have it all wrong! She broke into my lab and stole it!"

Hadrian shook her head. "We know for a fact that the one you claim stole it has not been on board the _Galactica._"

"You're lying. The Admiral doesn't like him at all. That's why this is happening," one of the now gathering civilians spoke up.

"Don't make assumptions you have not gathered all the facts for," she answered over her shoulder.

Not liking the answer, he rushed the closest marine. Because of the minimal arms, he felt he had a better chance to overwhelm him. He found out that was not the case. The marine in question, quickly sidestepped him and twisted around and had the civilian in a headlock. The rest of the gathering crowd started talking amongst themselves, then slowly dispersed.

"Hey, let me go!" he was flailing his arms in attempt to get the marine off him.

"Take him with the Vice President," Hadrian ordered.

"I didn't do anything!" the protester complained echoing Baltar's earlier words.

Hadrian just looked at him not really believing either man.

"Could you at least have her taken to life station?" Baltar asked suddenly.

_How would he know about the cylon's condition if he had not been there,_ she asked herself. "I'll think about it," she commented. Moving over to the marine she said quietly, "Nice to know that Glennan's fancy moves do work."

"Yes, ma'am." Some of the marines actually smiled at her statement. "Are we to arrest both of them, ma'am?"

"Yes, and bring them back to the _Galactica_, and confine the civilian in the ship's brig, while you are to bring Baltar to see Adama."

"Yes, ma'am." If anything, they had even larger smiles on their faces as they began to cuff both of the civilians.

Baltar's jaw dropped when he realized what was going on. "Arrest?" he sputtered. "This is all a mistake! I assure you that I am innocent!" he continued as two marines came towards him. When he tried to take off, they were able to stop and hold him until he was restrained sufficiently.

"You're lucky I don't have any shackles with me, or I would have you in them," Hadrian said with contempt.

"I will have your job for this!" Baltar hissed.

"Take them back to the raptor," Hadrian dismissed the marines.

The trip back to the hanger deck was quiet enough. News of Baltar's arrest had spread through the civilian population fairly quickly. Their reactions, though, were mixed, but they were not stopped. That wasn't the only thing that was different. The people on board were now looking at the marines not with irrational hate and fear, but with some measure of healthy respect.

Once in the hanger, it was noted the medic team was just arriving. The cylon would be transported to the _Galactica_ within the hour and the last two marines that were watching the cabin would be the escort.

* * *

With the successful retrieval of the nuke, Adama left Gaeta in charge of CIC while he headed back to his quarters. He wanted to talk to Laura about the issues, and also have Hadrian bring Baltar there so he could be questioned quietly. But soon enough, Gaeta did come, since he wanted to talk to him privately. 

"Your idea of sending over some of Glennan's students was a wise decision," Adama said as Gaeta stepped inside.

Surprised at the sudden praise, he let a smile flash across his face before disappearing. "Sir, facing a knife or any type of improvised weapon is something they have never trained for."

"How would you know about this, Gaeta?" Adama asked as he folded his arms.

"Um, Glennan retrieved several training weapons, ones that were completely harmless. She showed me very effectively that the marines need more training by showing what it is like when someone brandishes a knife." Gaeta hesitated, then finished speaking as if not sure if he did the right thing, "I allowed them to come on board, but. . ."

Adama nodded. "I want to see them before any training is to be authorized."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta nodded. "I. . .uh. . .also know now what we put her through. It's confusing and stressful not being able to communicate. And I knew I would be hopelessly lost if I ever lost sight of her."

Laura was sitting at Bill's desk when she interrupted, "And they also tried to find out how we were able to detect that first ship that showed up."

"Did you say anything?" Adama kept his attention on his XO.

"No, sir. I only said we picked it up against the backwash of the M8 Astral Body."

"Good. Hadrian reported that there was a civilian arrest on _Cloud Nine_. I want you to have him held until he can be turned over to the civilian courts. Minimal security for his section of the brig. You are also to accept her official report as to why he was arrested." Adama received the salute, secretly pleased that his choice to replace Tigh was better than expected. Gaeta was already starting to show that he didn't just mindlessly follow orders, but thought about the best way to handle the different situations. It would be hard to replace him with someone comparable at tactical.

"You're pleased with him," Laura commented when they were alone.

"Yes," Bill let a slight smile cross his weathered face. "He's doing much better than I expected."

"You said he had a good head on his shoulders," Laura drew her finger across his desk.

"Saying it is one thing, seeing it is something totally different. I wasn't totally sure he would be able to make the transition."

Laura nodded while looking at the books next to her. "Bill? Do you have any books on the our early legends and myths?"

"Besides the Sacred Scrolls?"

Laura nodded. "The Terrans are hiding something. Not only that, but they have a creature very similar to the griffin. There was a picture on the wall that had a griffin. O'Neill tried to brush it off, but it bothered me."

Bill's eyes narrowed slightly. "What else?"

"She had a book that I could read that had more interesting things. It was in poetry form and it specifically mentioned a place called Troy at the beginning." She stood up and moved to another bookshelf. "You know we had a colony named after the mythological Troy."

"I can't say one way or another why they know about that." Bill shook his head.

Laura stood up and began moving towards him, "She made mention of Atlantis, too."

Before Bill could answer, the door opened and one of the guards announced the arrival of Hadrian with Baltar.

"Let them in," Bill glanced over to Laura. She had resumed her position sitting at his desk.

Hadrian pushed the vice president into the cabin and forced him to stop.

"I demand to know the reason for my treatment, and this!" he held up his cuffed hands.

"You were entrusted with a nuclear weapon to help with the cylon detector."

"It was stolen!" Baltar blurted out. "Gina took it!"

"Then why wasn't it reported?"

"I was going to get around doing it," he tried to weasel out of this particular damning line of questioning.

"How can someone that was never on board be able to steal something?" Adama crossed his arms. "As of now I am keeping you under arrest for giving aid and comfort to the enemy during a time of war."

"You can't do this! I demand every right that a civilian has," he answered, smug that Adama would give into the civilian area.

"Baltar, you forget, my father was a civil liberties lawyer. I know all about the law. This is military. You gave a known enemy a dangerous weapon that could have been used against the civilian population. I am formally charging you with theft and mishandling munitions. This easily accounts as treason in time of war and you are to be held until trial."

Baltar looked desperately to Laura, hoping she would side with him instead of Adama.

"I'm sorry, Gaius. This is out of my hands. Admiral Adama is charged with protecting the civilian population by any means possible."

TBC...


	28. Chapter 28

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 28  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-eight_**

Lee sat in the raptor he had appropriated for his investigation. When the call went across the wireless of the sudden drill he docked with the closest ship. After a minute or two, he noticed that the hanger was pressurizing. At that point he decided to get out and look around, not really looking for anything in particular. Once he set foot on the hanger deck he looked at the other vessel forced to land with him. It was one of the larger shuttles. It and the raptor he was using took up most of the space within the hanger. Other shuttles had tried to dock, but had been told to go to the next ship since this one was already filled to capacity.

He had been doing the follow up on a lead with the stolen supplies. The Terran captain had mentioned it had been a few pallets that had been stolen. With a few quiet inquiries, Lee found that it was more serious than what she stated. It was more along the lines of a shuttle's worth of supplies each day. Lee completely agreed with Tigh's assessment that one or two pallets a day was one thing, but whole shuttles worth was too much.

The shuttle that docked with the raptor was one of theirs. It seemed to be carrying something, but he wasn't sure what. Trying to look as though he were simply bored, Lee went back over to the raptor and pulled out the procedures he was had been working through earlier while glancing ever so often to the shuttle. Eventually someone got out and, had his hands on his hips, looked around angrily. He seemed to be anxious about something, but Lee didn't know where to place it. Focusing on the Colonial, he tried to see what, if anything, he was hiding.

At the moment, Lee's goal wasn't to shut the black market down, but to find out what was going on. He had been thinking about it ever since Adama had asked him to investigate the thefts. If need be, he would shut it down, but he knew it was the beginnings, or what was left of their thriving market economy. And the man now standing nervously outside the shuttle knew something important, why else would he start fidgeting. Folding up the papers, Lee put them back inside the raptor and then turned his attention to the shuttle. Acting as though he wasn't aware of the man's state of mind, Lee casually came up to him.

"You know what's going on?" the Colonial asked suddenly in a southern Picon accent.

Lee looked at him for a moment while shaking his head. "Sorry. All I know is that Admiral Adama has asked for a dispersion drill."

Lee's casual demeanor seemed to calm the nervousness of the other pilot. For a moment he took a good look at Lee then commented, "Ain't you the one on Biar's report on the military? I remember her interviewing someone that looked like you."

A small smile crossed Lee's face while he nodded. "Yeah, she interviewed me." _He is definitely hiding something_. Deciding to push forward on the investigation, and to see what the pilot knew, Lee looked around as if making sure they were alone. "Do you think you might be able to get me something?"

"Depends on how much you're willing to pay," he answered slowly.

"I'd like to see what you've got in there." Lee indicated the shuttle door. As he took a step, the pilot shot an arm out and stopped him. "You ain't going in there," he hissed.

"Why? Is there something in there I shouldn't see?"

"It ain't none of your frakkin' business."

Lee turned and crossed his arms, "I just might make it mine. What's stopping me from reporting this to Admiral Adama?" Not getting any type of answer, Lee turned slightly and moved over and opened the shuttle door. Tarps were covering the pallets inside. Once he climbed inside he raised the edge of one. Hidden beneath it he found it full of medical supplies. Medicine that was desperately needed. Turning his attention back to the pilot he raised his eyebrows. _Cottle will be pissed if he finds out about this._

"You lookin' to get a cut?"

Lee drew his attention back to the southern Picon. The man never did state his name, and neither had he. Smuggling was a nameless business. Deciding not to answer, Lee went farther into the shuttle. What he found in the back made his skin crawl. Turning around, he pushed the pilot out and onto the deck. "There will be _no_ slave trading!" he hissed.

The Picon shrugged his shoulders. "They're in demand," he said.

Lee grabbed the man's collar and hauled him back into the shuttle. "You will take me back to the base of operations, or I will state far and wide what is going on and shut this down. Don't think I won't."

For once the national seemed truly afraid. "W-what about the customers?"

"Frak the customers. We're talking about children," Lee's voice dripped with contempt.

"They ain't got no home."

"None of us do." Lee forced the Picon to the cockpit and into the pilot's chair after sealing the door. When he sat down he continued, "Now, when the all clear goes out, I want you to take this shuttle back."

"I ain't doin' it."

Lee sat back while smiling. "Fine. I'll take you back to the _Pegasus_ and tell them you're a cylon. They don't like cylons over there."

"You wouldn't." He shook his head nervously.

"I'm only stating a fact."

_"Attention, this is the Admiral. The fleet drill has been successful. Until further notice, all shuttle traffic can resume."_

"That's our cue," Lee commented as he secured the restraints around him.

"This is frakkin' insane," the Picon mumbled, but started up the shuttle. When they were clear of the hanger doors, Lee contacted the ship and told them he would retrieve the raptor later. There were some things he had to attend to first.

When he saw which ship he was being taken to, Lee was finally able to put everything into place. It had been too obvious to even see it.

When they got out they were met by two armed civilians. "He wants to see you."

"Don't you think I'd know that?" he grumbled.

The two guards pointed to Lee, "He stays."

"He stays, I stay."

The two guards talked it over but eventually nodded. "All right. If you do anything, you're dead."

_And if you do anything, you'll be really dead,_ Lee thought. _Dad would be pissed and bring the whole system down._

The office they entered was opulently decorated, as if money and resources meant nothing.

"You didn't make your supply run." The voice turned his attention to Lee. "I do not share. This is my business."

Lee came up, ignoring the guards and leaned over the desk. "I don't care about that." His voice lowered dangerously. "Medicine and children are off limits. I will keep a close watch on what's going on. If there is even a hint of those two 'items' being bartered I will shut this whole operation down."

"Are you threatening me, Major Adama?"

"Take it any way you like. Leave the medicine and children alone. You can skim off the top _after_ the initial supplies have been delivered, but no full shuttle loads. There are ships out there that haven't received anything because of your _business_." Lee backed up then commented, "The Terrans know what your doing. Everything is being tracked."

"They're nothing," he answered derisively.

"What you call 'nothing' took out an entire basestar without any help. They also have at least three ships on the outskirts of the fleet. Nothing is stopping them from coming in and taking everything, including your _business_. They are the ones you need to talk to, along with the people that haven't received any aide yet. So, it would be in your best interest to comply with what I'm asking."

oOoOo

When they were alone once more Bill turned his attention back to Laura and then to the books in the shelf beside her.

Catching his glance, she turned to look, then turned back towards Bill. "Do you need me to move?"

"I think so," he answered thoughtfully. "And the types of books you are looking for are in the bookcases over by the couch."

Nodding, Laura got up and went towards the large couch that wrapped around two sides of the cabin and gave him free rein with the books that dealt with protocol within the military that he normally kept in his office.

"Bill, I really think the military should handle this whole mess. We don't have the resources for a high treason trial."

Adama looked up from his inspection towards Laura's position. She was standing beside one of the bookshelves with a book in hand. Several of her folders were on the coffee table. He grunted in answer as he turned back to the shelf. Eventually, he pulled out first one and then two more books and placed them on his desk. Sitting down, he picked up the first book, and leaned back in his chair. What Laura was asking was almost like a plea for help. What courts they were able to recreate would be overwhelmed by the trial and the possible intense media attention it would create. If it were taken through the military, they would have a much better time controlling the possible chaos it would create.

An added bonus was that he could control who would be able to come, along with the possibility of not having it broadcast to the rest of the fleet. "It depends on what kind of media frenzy you prefer. If we take the military route, then everything can be controlled much more easily."

"Things can be leaked either way." Laura sighed as she sat down. "I don't know, Bill."

Bill got up and came over to the couch, book still in hand. "If we decide to have it completely open, then there's much less chance for some of the civilian groups to be whipped up into a frenzy." He sat down beside her and placed his hand on her leg gently. He removed it quickly when the door opened and one of the guards announced Billy's arrival.

"Billy?" Laura asked in concern as she stood up. Her young aide looked exhausted. "Ma'am, what happened? I'm getting swamped with questions concerning Vice President Baltar."

Laura glanced at Bill. He sat with his nose in his book, a sure sign he had no intention of participating in this particular conversation. Turning back, she hesitated then said, "He was arrested."

Billy's eyes widened, "H-how?"

Glancing to Adama again, Laura noticed he had a slight grin on his face. "I do not want this leaked to the press. I'm telling you this so you will be better prepared to answer the calls. Gaius Baltar was entrusted with military technology to help with the cylon detector. After the petty theft incident with the Terran liaison, Admiral Adama had him removed from the _Galactica_, and his lab and cabin inventoried. In that process, the technology turned up missing, and was subsequently found in the hands of a known cylon. He was arrested because of that."

Billy looked down for a moment before asking, "Are you sure it wasn't stolen?"

"It was not stolen," Adama answered gruffly.

Billy finally nodded.

"It's all right, Billy. There's a lot of things we're having to deal with at the moment," Laura said, trying to lighten Bill's comment.

"Yes, ma'am." As he was turning around he stopped and asked, "Will any of this be released to the press?"

"During the trial."

"With the press blackout will you have a formal press conference I have to prepare for?"

"Let me think about that, Billy. I'll get back to you and let you know my answer."

"I do recommend that you go ahead with the press conference, ma'am. That way you can control the press and the rumors." When finished, Billy nodded and left the cabin. Once the door was closed, Laura turned back to Bill, "You think he will talk to Dee about this?"

Bill set the book down on his lap then looked up. "Most likely. Though, I think Dee knows a whole lot more about what is going on than Billy."

"Can you trust her?" Laura settled back down beside him and lay her head against his shoulder.

"So far I've been able to. She hasn't given me any indication not to." Raising his arm, he let her lean in closer, then dropped it to her other side to hold her close.

"So, civilian or military?" Laura mumbled.

"You did mention that we don't have the resources for a high treason civilian trial." Leaning over, he fumbled with the wireless unit for a minute then turned it on. "You never did say whether or not you agreed on the press conference. His idea has merit." After listening for a moment on the wild rumors and accusations already being expounded by the press, Bill looked again to Laura.

"I think a press conference would be good," she mumbled as she sat up. Looking around, she was then startled when Bill handed her the comm. unit. Punching a few buttons she waited a moment then spoke, "Billy, go ahead and tell the press that I will have a formal conference." Bill touched her shoulder. "Wait. . ." Turning back to Adama she raised an eyebrow in question.

"Have Dee do a general broadcast. It is critical information that needs to get out now before things get too far out of hand."

Laura turned her attention back to Billy, "Billy, I want you to have Dee put out a general broadcast concerning the matter and that there is a press black out and I will give a formal press conference as soon as I am able."

Minutes after she set the comm. unit down they heard Dee's voice over the fleet wide channel. The wireless set went silent for a moment. When it started back up all they talked about was the announcement.

"At least that gives them something concrete to talk about," she commented as she settled against Bill once again.

oOo

Mair sat down in her office chair in a hiss of pain. She did not want to be in her at sea cabin, but the Admiralty had sent an official missive with her updated orders. Using her personal key, she was able to decode the message to see what she needed to do. Once she knew, she tapped the screen and had Harris set up the call to the transceiver that was positioned in Admiral Adama's cabin. She knew she'd sound exhausted, but it couldn't be helped. This was something he needed to know about.

_"Adama."_

_Hm, he's angry about something_, Mair thought, but said, "Admiral, this is O'Neill. I received word from the Admiralty and that they want your fleet to move to a position much farther inside Terran space." She heard muffled words from a woman in the background for a moment, but it soon went silent.

When he answered he seemed very gruff, _"There are things that need to be done before that can happen."_

"Is it because of the sudden increase in comm. traffic between your ships?" Mair had been informed of that soon after it had begun. As suddenly as it had started, however, the frantic rate of comm. traffic had ended. She was certain something had happened, but had no way of knowing what.

_"I cannot comment on any of that."_

_Bingo! Something major happened_. "I need to know what your plans are so I can relay them to the Admiralty."

Adama hesitated for a moment or two before speaking, _"We need to do some testing on the FTL drives before we can move."_

_He's still not telling me what just happened._ "Okay. I will send a message back telling them why."

_"It should be no later than tomorrow."_

"Let me know when you're ready, Admiral." When the line disconnected she leaned back and sighed.

oOo

Adama looked at the transceiver for a moment, bothered by what he had heard. O'Neill never did mention if they were able to hear the wireless broadcasts. If the Terrans were able to pick them up, no telling what she thought of them now.

"Did she ever say if they listened in on the comm. messages?" Laura asked while getting up from the couch. Her jacket was off and her shirt was in disarray. She too seemed put off at the sudden interruption.

"No." Bill shook his head and then turned around. "There are two ships that the techs are still working on. They should be finished later today."

"And _Colonial One_? What about her?"

"No word so far." Seeing her unspoken request, Bill shook his head wryly and picked up the comm. unit. "Dee, get me Pegasus Actual. . .Tigh, any word on _Colonial One_. . .I see. . .all right we'll do that later today." Bill put the comm. unit down and turned his attention back to Laura. "We've got a problem."

"What kind?"

Bill sighed, "Until the foundry ship can get supplies, they can't do any more repairs on _Colonial One_. As of right now, she has life support, comm., and thruster capabilities."

"Oh great." Laura shook her head.

"Saul also wants her moved here."

"Why can't she stay on the _Pegasus_?" Laura asked.

"They don't have the room to store a ship the size of _Colonial One_ for any length of time, and we do." He paused before continuing, "That will be done later today."

"There's something I thought you'd like to know," Laura moved towards him. "Something's wrong with O'Neill," she explained. "We had lunch and at the end of it she collapsed. The other Terrans acted like nothing was wrong and let her XO take care of things."

"Interesting. Anything else?"

"I also learned the Terrans aren't truly unified, and they've been fighting amongst themselves for thousands of years."

oOoOo

The arrival of the cylon model named "Gina" was a surprise to the medics on duty in Life Station. They all knew that cylons didn't get sick. Cottle glanced to the Terran doctor handling immunizations and then back to Gina. The medics that arrived with her mentioned that she had been in close contact with nuclear material for some time.

"What?" Jankowitz came up behind Cottle.

"Get your stuff. I'm putting you to work," Cottle said gruffly. Putting out his cigarette, he turned and walked away. A huge grin spread across his face, Jankowitz happily followed the CMO.

"What do we have?" he asked when he got to the sealed examination room.

"Possible radiation poisoning."

The Terran doctor blinked his eyes in surprise then pushed it off to the side. Forget radiation, they had a patient to look after and care for. "Okay."

Cottle glanced at him curiously and then pulled out the scanning equipment. Once the initial scan was complete, they pulled up the readings she produced.

"So, no radiation. I guess whatever it was wasn't enough to hurt her."

"But she's still sick," Cottle grumbled.

"I know that," Jankowitz countered. Backing up the Terran asked, "Was she given any vaccinations?"

Cottle furrowed his brow then shook his head. "I don't know."

"Can I check to see if she's got any of our nasty viruses?"

The Colonial doctor seemed to mull the idea over for a minute or two before backing away. "Who knows, she might."

Jankowitz nodded and pulled out his pda. Switching it to scanning mode he slowly moved it across Gina while checking to see if what she had was even remotely similar to any of their diseases. The initial scan turned up negative, but what looked like several tumors were noted in different places. "Doctor, I think she's got something, but I'm not sure." Handing the pda over he showed the results. "She has several tumors. They could either be benign or pre-cancerous. If I were you I would have a biopsy done to see if it's benign or not.

Jack looked at the results. Of all the equipment they had, he realized they weren't able to do this type of scanning. Using the Colonial equipment, he rechecked one of the tumor areas and it came up clean just like before. "How can you be sure?" he asked gruffly.

Rolling his eyes, Jankowitz turned the pda on the Colonial doctor and did the same scan. When the results came up negative he showed them to Cottle. "I told you that they're either benign or pre-cancerous."

Cottle looked up from the pda, "If they are cancerous then we would have already picked it up." But, the whole issue of the tumors was already starting to bother the CMO. "What else can this thing do?"

Jankowitz shrugged his shoulders. "There's a variation on the program to distinguish naturally formed cells from biologically created transplants."

_I wonder,_ Cottle thought while narrowing his eyes. Making his decision he handed the pda back over while ordering the Terran doctor, "I want you to pull up that variation."

Jankowitz looked at him for a moment before taking the pda back. When it was up and running, he handed it back to Cottle, still not sure why he wanted that particular program.

Showing no emotion, Cottle walked back over to Gina and began the scan. When finished, he had it analyze the collected data from the known human cylon. "Frak," he muttered when the information came up.

"Are you finished yet?" Jankowitz asked while folding his arms.

"No." Cottle went over to one of the comm. units and punched some buttons. "Admiral, I need you here in Life Station." Not waiting for his answer he replaced the comm. and turned back to Jankowitz. "It looks like you've either just made my job a whole lot easier or harder."

"Why?"

"She is sick, it's just not natural."

oOo

When Adama showed up, he looked around for Cottle. Spotting the CMO he moved purposefully in his direction. "What is it, Major?" he asked.

"This." Cottle handed the pda over to Adama.

Gazing at the information displayed, he looked up a moment then asked, "What is it I'm looking at?"

"This is Gina's information," Cottle indicted the sealed off examination room with his head. "Jankowitz here tells me that they have a program that can distinguish between naturally occurring cells and biologically created implants."

Adama looked down to the pda and then back to Cottle. When he spoke his voice was quiet, "You mean to tell me that this is a quick way to find out whether someone is a cylon or not?"

"So far, yes." Cottle showed another set of readings. "I was skeptical at first, but this is the scan Jankowitz did on me. These tumors do not show up."

"Jankowitz?" Adama turned his attention to the Terran doctor. "Is there any reason why you would have this type of scan?"

A slight smile cross the Terran's face before answering, "Yes, sir. Our doctors need to be able to tell if someone has had any type of organ transplant. This helps them tell what was fixed because of disease or injury when being examined."

"I see," Adama answered then handed the pda back to Jankowitz. "We might be in need of that program sometime soon." With that, he left life station.

Jankowitz shook his head, not sure of what just happened. Turning his attention back to Cottle he found the older doctor shaking his head. "Who was that?"

"The last high ranking officer in the military," Cottle mumbled as he looked over the main room in Life Station. As if finally making a decision, Jack moved farther into the room and then into one of the intensive care rooms. This one held the reporter Biars.

"You know something?" Jankowitz commented as he followed Cottle. "She has very similar symptoms."

"I know," Cottle mumbled as he began scanning the reporter. When the report came out he cursed, "Frak!"

oOoOo

Lee settled back into the raptor's pilot's seat and sighed. He only hoped that the Boss, as he was named, would comply with what was placed before him. He was promised that all the children would be taken back to the orphanage ship to be cared for. The thought of children being used as slaves made his skin crawl. Once he was back in space, he activated the wireless. "_Galactica_, this is Apollo. I need to speak with Galactica Actual."

_"Adama."_

"Dad, it's done. I'm letting the black market stay up, but it will be reduced to supportable levels."

_"Good work."_

"I'm heading over to the _Galactica_ right now to make my full report."

_"Cancel that, Apollo. I need you to go to _Cloud Nine _to investigate and inventory the cylon 'Gina's' room, and report what you find."_

Lee looked at the wireless for a moment. "Yes, sir."

TBC...


	29. Chapter 29

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 29  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: None (please be kind!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Twenty-nine_**

Tigh stood alone, leaning over the board in the main plotting room. The only thing that let off any type of light was the board in the center. The pale glow coming off the table distorted his features and almost turning them into some type demonic image. If he was going to pull this off, he knew he would need Apollo to help him build the ideas. Adama had put him commanded for the FTL testing. Straightening up, Tigh moved over towards the closest comm. unit and picked it up. "Get me the Admiral," he said gruffly. His face softened slightly and let a smile cross his face when he spoke again, "Sir, have you seen my XO?" After a slight hesitation he said, "Yes, sir. I'll do that."

Pulling the comm. unit away, Saul looked at it then keyed in another sequence. "I need you to patch me through to Major Adama." He waited a few more minutes before he heard the younger Adama's voice over the comm. channel. "Apollo, I need you back here. . .You can give your report to the Old Man later. . ." Tigh's eyes narrowed at Lee's statements over the comm. "I don't see why you can't do it from over here," Saul answered gruffly. Lee's next statement, though vague, made Tigh thing otherwise. "Hold that last order. I want you to go ahead and talk to him. I'll be over to meet you."

Placing the comm. unit back in its cradle, Tigh cursed quietly. Sighing, he moved towards the door and flipped a switch that shut the light off under the board and plunged the room into almost total darkness. He would use the main plotting room on the _Galactica_ to work out the plan for the 9 civilian ships.

By the time he made it to the flag ship, Tigh knew Lee was already on board and most likely giving his report. Gaeta, along with two marines, were waiting for him off to the side. After the initial salute Tigh asked, with a slight smirk, "Permission to come aboard?"

"Permission granted, sir," Gaeta answered with a smile. As they turned and started heading out of the hanger the younger officer commented, "The Admiral would like to meet with you in his cabin."

Walking through the corridors, Tigh felt like he was coming home to some extent. He knew the layout of the _Galactica_ like the back of his hand, and that he would never get lost. But, as a visiting commander, protocol dictated that he be escorted or have an escort. When the two officers stepped inside Adama's cabin, they found Lee sitting in one of the chairs across from Bill's desk. Laura had claimed the other one.

"What did I miss?" Tigh asked as he grabbed a chair from the table and brought it over. Gaeta had followed suit with one of the other ones.

"Nothing. We were waiting for your arrival," Adama commented as he leaned back in his chair. When the two newcomers had settled, Bill looked over to Lee and nodded.

"I found this in Gina's rooms on _Cloud Nine_," Lee started as he pulled out a sheet of paper and passed it to Tigh. The older officer looked at it in disgust the passed it to Gaeta. "Where is he right now?"

"The brig," Laura answered.

"Is the pro-cylon faction trying to curry the Vice President's favor?" Gaeta asked as he handed it to the President.

Lee hesitated before answering, "I'm not sure. I did some quiet inquiries and found that the civilian arrested is an active member." He paused before continuing, "And there was a lot of talk about the marines that arrested him. The comments I heard seemed to be more positive than anything else."

Adama glanced to Gaeta for a moment then back to Lee. "You can thank Gaeta for that. Those were some of the liaison's unofficial students."

Lee looked at Gaeta for a moment and noticed the other officer seemed to be embarrassed over the sudden praise and attention he was receiving. Turning his attention back to Adama, Lee continued, "I would think it would be in our best interest if the most radical members were detained."

Bill glanced over to Laura, interested in her thoughts about the faction. "I don't want it to seem that we're this controlling police state, but. . ." She raised her hands in supplication, "We're having a hard enough time as it is. When we're settled and the population is once again on the increase then we can let them exist."

Nodding, Adama turned his attention to Gaeta, "When Lieutenant Glennan is sufficiently recovered, I want to talk to her about this."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta nodded.

"Lieutenant Glennan?" Lee asked confused. "Who is that?"

"She's the Terran liaison," Laura commented. "You might remember her from the initial meeting last week. She accompanied Captain O'Neill."

"She's been instructing the marines on different techniques on how to deal with situations not found in combat," Gaeta commented for the first time. "She was the one to state that when working with civilians, the best way is to be minimally armed."

Lee nodded thoughtfully while turning his attention back to Adama. He kept his curiosity about the comment on recovery to himself for now.

"When do you want to detain the civilians?" Gaeta asked. He seemed to be more relaxed than when he first arrived.

"After we're finished testing the civilian ships." Adama leaned forward and started going through the papers currently on his desk.

"Sir, I want to have _Colonial One_ moved before we commence the FTL jump sequence," Tigh commented.

"I know." Bill nodded. "That can happen later today."

Tight nodded then turned to look at Lee. "Sir, if I am going to be put in charge of this, I need to do prep work with my XO in the main plotting room."

Bill let a smile creep across his face before answering, "You're dismissed."

Gaeta got to his feet with Tigh and Apollo, but wasn't sure if he should go with them or not. When Adama nodded Gaeta took the chair he had been using and put it back where he found it.

When they were alone once again Bill came around and leaned up against the desk then folded his arms. "You never did tell me what you found so amusing about how Baltar got off the _Galactica_."

Laura furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment before she let a smile spread across her face. "Come now, Bill. You were married. You should know."

"Know what?" He sighed before continuing, "Laura, I don't have enough information to even know what you are talking about."

Laura rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Bill. When do you not get a woman angry?"

Adama narrowed his eyes for a moment before letting them close all the way and shook his head.

"I'm still amazed at how he got off in one piece," Laura commented.

oOoOo

Lee looked at the back of his new commanding officer. So much had changed, especially the one in front of him. He didn't doubt that Tigh still drank on occasion, but he couldn't recall ever seeing him this alive. There was even a slight spring in his step. What really surprised him was how quickly everyone, especially the hard core Cain followers had accepted him as their commander. "Sir?" he asked as he quickened his stride. Once beside the older officer, Lee continued, "Have you any ideas on how we're going to do this?"

"Some." Tigh glanced to the side, "That's why you're here."

"What about the cylons?"

"I've been thinking about that, also." Stopping at a door, Tigh twisted the handle and pulled it open. The room inside was dark until he hit a switch on the wall. Several lights overhead winked on but the large table in the center remained dark. Hitting another switch, the lights under the table came to full power letting off a glow.

Tight reached down to one of the drawers when he reached the table, and opened it. Inside was a pad of paper and several pens to write with. Tearing a sheet off the top, Tigh put it on the table then scribbled at the bottom to see if it worked. Once the ink began to flow he looked up. "If we're going to test the drives, we will need to have more than one jump per vessel."

"So, you're talking about an extra jump?"

Saul shook his head. "No. More along the lines of each ship jumping a total of four times. We'll use the raptors to jump ahead to let us know if it's clear or not."

When they had worked out the initial sequencing, Lee finally commented, "Sir, what was that about the liaison and the marines? I remember her somewhat. I think she seemed small."

"But not someone to be trifled with," Tigh answered with a grin as he straightened. "She's been whipping the bucket's marines into shape." He continued as he gathered up the sheets they used, "She's showing them how to deal with civilians and teaching them combat that doesn't use brute force."

Lee furrowed his brow in confusion before finally nodding. "Does this have something to do with the marines that arrested the pro-cylon civilian?"

"Probably." Tigh shrugged his shoulders.

oOoOo

Cottle shook his head at the pda he still held. D'Anna Biars was the last person he suspected as a cylon. There was a few other people he wanted to check to make sure. Problem was that one was off the ship. Going over to the comm., he picked it up and spoke quickly into it. Jankowitz was still looking over the vitals of the one in the Colonial's version of the ICU. "Where did you go?" _Something is going on here_, he thought to himself.

Cottle didn't answer, except to pull the Terran out of the room. Once far enough away four heavily armed marines showed up and stood guard over the two rooms. "Don't worry about that. I need this to check someone else," Cottle held up the pda.

"Uh, sure." Though the Terran doctor was very bothered by the sight of the ICU rooms under heavy guard. The Colonials didn't seemed fazed by it, what really bothered him was that they seemed relieved when the guards arrived. What made him worry even more was that the two now under heavy guard were comatose and not likely to do any harm.

"Is there some way to clear the readings?" Cottle started putting various medical related items in a small bag he could carry with him.

"Yes, but why would you?"

The Colonial doctor pulled off the lab coat, revealing the same type of uniform that other members of the military wore. "I don't want to get the readings messed up."

"You can do that by opening up a new patient file." Jankowitz paused, before continuing, "And do you want me to come along, or something?"

"Patient file?" Cottle's eyes seemed to lighten up somewhat.

"Yes, it's set up like any medical computer filing system." Pulling off the lab coat, Jankowitz continued, "And you never answered my question."

"You know more about it than I do. Set a new file up for a Sharon Valerii," Cottle answered him.

Retrieving the pda, Jankowitz shook his head at Cottle's actions. Just as he began setting up the new file Cottle called back to him, "Aren't you going to come?"

The Terran jerked his head up quickly. He never heard the Colonial CMO leave. "Uh, hold on. Just finishing up with the last of the setup." With a few quick steps, he had reached the older doctor.

"I need you to keep up with me or you will get lost."

A smile flashed across the Terran doctor's face then disappeared, "Yes, sir."

The trip was a somewhat enlightening experience for Jankowitz. The _Mercy_ is set up more along the lines of a land based hospital. When they reached their destination even he could tell that it was the brig.

"Whatever you do, don't antagonize her. She's extremely dangerous," Cottle warned him.

Jankowitz was taken back by the CMO's statements as he looked through the windows. _A heavily pregnant woman shouldn't be that dangerous, maybe to herself, but not really to anyone else_, he thought. The area, though, they entered was some of the most heavily fortified construction he had ever seen. In the center, and surrounded by heavily armed marines was a cell. When they were cleared Cottle had the door opened.

"Are you here to take me to wherever?" Sharon asked. She was sitting on the cot with her legs tucked under her.

"No. Just going to run a quick scan," Cottle answered as he turned his attention to Jankowitz.

Sharon turned her bored attention to Jankowitz, "Oh, I have a visitor?"

"No," Cottle shook his head while turning his attention to Jankowitz. "He's just here to observe."

Nodding, the Terran handed over the pda and backed away. He really wanted to be the one to run the scans, but Cottle was in control of the entire situation. Jankowitz knew he needed to report all his findings to O'Neill.

"Have you had any weak spells, or nausea?" Cottle asked as he ran the scanner over Sharon.

"Dunno." She shrugged her shoulders.

Jack lowered his voice and leaned in, "You better be truthful, I have a very sick cylon in Life Station. I want to know why she is sick and you are not showing any signs."

"Maybe because of the bulkheads? I am separate from everyone else here." She turned her attention back to Jankowitz. "He was so concerned about vaccinations, maybe he brought it."

Cottle narrowed his eyes for a moment. The liaison had been on board for a time before any of the vaccinations started. Biars could have caught it that way. There was a problem with the theory though. Gina had never been on the _Galactica_. "There's a problem with that," he answered softly. "Gina's never been on board."

"Doctor," Sharon sighed, "Whatever it is you're asking, I have no idea. I told you I disconnected myself." She looked up to Cottle then back down while rubbing her distended belly.

Jack's face softened slightly in compassion as he placed a hand on her head. "Your baby will be fine." He hesitated before continuing, "I do want to check something." Backing away he turned to Jankowitz and then to the pda. "How do you set up a new patient?"

The Terran hesitated then took a few steps forward. "Go to index and from there you have a choice create a new file."

Following the instructions Cottle was able to open a new file. "Now," he said as he neared the cot, "I want you to stretch out. I want to see if I can scan your baby."

Sharon looked at him warily for a moment before nodding. Once stretched out he ran the scans over her belly and saved the readings for later. "Is that it?" she asked when he backed away.

"For now," Cottle answered, quickly returning to his normally gruff manner. He kept the pda on their trip back to life station, not thinking of examining the results. Once back Jankowitz glanced through the heavily guarded doors and found in shock the occupants literally chained to the beds and those chains connected to pad eyes welded to the deck.

"Get in here Jankowitz," Cottle's voice came from a room off to the side.

The Terran stepped inside what turned out to be a small and very cramped office. On top of a bookshelf overflowing with medical books and journals were several pictures, no doubt memories of a life that would never be the same. "Those three are very dangerous, high threat prisoners," Cottle explained as he looked at the readouts from the pda. Pulling out a pad of paper, he began to take notes on what he found. Sharon had the same tumors, which he had suspected she would. Her child seemed to be developing some of them, but he wasn't completely sure. He'd be damned to hand her over to the Terran scientists just because she happened to have a cylon for a mother.

"When you're finished, let me know and I can help you make hard copies of the reports for filing purposes," Jankowitz commented as he backed out of the office. Once back in the main room, he walked towards the alcove and slipped inside. Coming over to the laptop, he activated it and logged into the email program. The message he sent was to his commanding officer, and copied onto O'Neill and flagged as high priority. It was a detailed report on how there were three high threat prisoners on the Colonial flag ship. The problem was that two were comatose and the third was heavily pregnant. Once it was sent, he immediately logged off and closed the program down.

oOoOo

Mair turned over in her bed with a hiss of pain and reached over to pull the movable table that housed her laptop closer to her. She had heard the ping that announced the arrival of a new message. She sat up slowly then reached over to activate the program. The message she received was from one of the _Mercy_'s doctors. He had set it on high priority but left the subject line empty. Opening it up, she scanned it. 'Interesting,' she mumbled. Not wanting to deal with it anymore for the time being, she forwarded it on to her XO with her thoughts below the message. He knew her well enough to know what kind of answer she would give.

She was about to settle down when the comm. bussed. _'Captain?'_

'What is it, Harris?' she answered with a groan.

_'Admiral Adama is wanting to speak to you.'_

Mair let her head fall back against the bulkhead, he was the last person she was in the mood to speak to. 'All right, put him through.'

_"Captain O'Neill."_

"What can I do for you, Admiral?" her exhaustion felt overwhelming, but she forced herself to sound alert.

_"Common courtesy. We have a ship docked within one of the _Pegasus_'s flight pods. That will be moved later today. The FTL tests are set to begin tomorrow. Commander Tigh has not told me when it would start. That should last the rest of the day."_

Mair nodded, "Thank you, Admiral. I'll let my people know what you have planned." She hesitated before continuing. "That ship, Admiral. Was it the same one that was hit with the backlash of that explosion?"

The line was silent for a time before Adama answered, _"Yes. It is the President's ship. President Roslin though has been on the _Galactica _since then."_

_Handing off a problem from one ship to another_, she thought. But Adama didn't seem that upset about the whole issue. "How long should this take?"

_"Unknown at this time. I will have the _Pegasus _move to the minimal distance set for battlestars and have _Colonial One _come here with thruster power only_."

_Ouch, thruster only? That explosion must have knocked out most, if not all, the systems._ The whole process bothered her, though. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you going to move it?"

She heard a voice in the background before he answered, _"It would be best for the entire fleet if _Colonial One _be here."_

Mair let a smile creep across her face, _nice way of telling me it's none of my business. You're good_. "All right, Admiral. I'll leave it at that." She paused trying to catch her breath. The exhaustion seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks suddenly. "The Admiralty wants you to have your fleet moved farther within Terran space as soon as possible. I am sure that can be taken care of after the tests are complete?"

_"That will be fine."_

"I will send the coordinates to you through Lieutenant Glennan's personal messaging programs. From there she can print them out for you to work with to transfer the information into your navigation systems."

There was some more conversation in the background then Adama continued, _"Thank you. Captain, if I may. Are you all right?"_

Mair let a sad smile cross her face before answering, "There's nothing you can do about it. I'll live." _For the time being._

When the comm. finally disconnected, Mair sighed as she relaxed against the pillows. A few moments later she reached across for the computer again. She really needed to get the coordinates to Glennan before anything else happened. Opening up the email file, she sent the information along with several star charts to let them figure out the new location on their own with what they already had. Mair was careful to make sure the bulk of the message was in the Colonial language. The last part was to remind Glennan to make sure she printed it out so Adama could make use of the information given.

'Harris.'

_'Yes, ma'am?'_

'Let me know when they start the ship transfer.'

_'Uh. . .will I know when it starts?'_

'Don't worry, you will.' She closed her eyes for what seemed only a minute when she was interrupted once again. Mair groggily reached for the comm. unit, 'Yes?'

_'Ma'am, you wanted to be notified of the transfer.'_

_Didn't I just tell them?_ she thought. When she finally focused on the clock she realized she had been asleep for several hours. 'Did it just start?'

_'Yes, ma'am. And it looks like it's going to take some time to complete.'_

'Keep me updated.'

_'Yes, ma'am.'_

TBC..._  
_

Sorry to say this, but there will be no postings next weekend. I will be attending DragonCon.


	30. Chapter 30

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 30  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty_**

Angela woke up groggy and woozy. For some time she was completely disoriented as to where she was. It was only after she sat up and turned on the lamp that her memories started coming back, though most of them were still, and would probably remain, somewhat fuzzy. Taking the back of her hand, she rubbed her forehead with it. After a moment she stopped and looked at it in confusion until she remembered why it was wrapped up. As she flexed the muscles the tightness of the bandages made it feel like she was loosing blood circulation. Not thinking of the consequences of her actions, she removed the bandage and attempted to flex it again. It was still somewhat numb, but looking at it made you think twice. The whole back of her hand was a vivid purple bruise. Thankfully, it looked worse than it felt.

Thinking that if she were careful, she could get by just fine, Angela got up and pulled on a set of BDU's. Looking around, she let her eyes settle on her seabag. She knew she had not brought it onto the _Galactica_. She remembered packing it, and then something about having a couple of marines take it to the raptor, but that was about it. With the added clothing that she would unpack later, she knew she would have enough to last at least another week. Angela knew she would eventually have to ask Gaeta on how laundry service worked on the _Galactica_. When she felt presentable, she did a quick morning study and then went over to her computer to check her mail. She had not been able to check it yesterday, so she had a feeling it would be filled to capacity.

Opening the email program up she found, like before, most messages she was copied onto. Not taking any chances, she went ahead and skimmed through all the messages. There was one message that asked about translation instructions that the supply personnel on the _Galactica_ asked in concern for the food supplies being delivered. Eventually she came across the one from O'Neill that was directed more towards Admiral Adama than her. Reaching over, she turned on the printer and printed out the message and the attachments. Pulling them off the printer, she couldn't help but notice that it was several star sightings and charts, along with the buoy system they used for long distance communications and navigation.

Setting the sheets on the table, Angela went over to her backpack and pulled out her clipboard. Taking a few brisk steps she came back to the table and clipped the sheets down and then folded the side over to cover the clipboard's contents. Once it was in place, she went through another pile of papers. When she found what she was looking for -- the message Gaeta had given her to use several days ago if she ever got lost -- Angela smiled and brought it back over to the clipboard and slipped it inside. She then looked around one last time, making sure she didn't forget anything. Catching sight of her pda, she hesitated a moment before reaching over for it. Before she left her cabin, she slipped the small computer in a thigh pocket while picking up the clipboard. Adama really needed to have the information that O'Neill had sent over.

Once she was out in the corridor, Angela secured the door behind her, then went around the corner towards Admiral Adama's cabin. Not finding any marines on guard, and getting no answer to her knocking, Angela turned around and thought a moment. He really needed to have the information, and fairly soon. There was next to no traffic in the corridors in and around the Admiral's cabin. 'I guess I can go find CIC,' she mumbled as she moved towards the closest corridor. For some time she continued to wander through the corridors, but not really seeing very many crew members. _They must be understaffed, or something_, she thought to herself. When the passage ways started narrowing and becoming shorter, Angela realized something was wrong. Stopping, she looked around and realized she hadn't heard or seen anyone for some time.

'Crap.' Angela knew she was lost, and now the corridors all looked the same to her. She knew she was in trouble. Opening the clipboard, she pulled out the note Gaeta gave her several days ago and looked around her once again. There were comm. units at set distances down the corridor, but she had no idea how to use them. She jumped at the echoing sound of a door closing somewhere in her vicinity. Angela didn't know if she wanted to go and try to find the person that opened the door, or just stay where she was and wait for the next person. If she moved, she knew it would only be worse. Only her training kept her from panicking, though she was getting close. Using her ground forces training, she listened closely for any non-ship type of noise. With all the extra sound the ship made, she realized fairly quickly that it was pointless. Taking a calming breath, she told herself to not jump the individual if and when they turned the corner.

The person that did show up was in a simple green uniform. Gaeta's was blue, and she knew he was an officer, that made the ones clad in green had to be noncoms. 'Excuse me?' she asked when he stopped short in surprise at her presence.

Trying not to show just how relieved she was at seeing another human, she opened the clipboard and pulled out the note. Handing it to him she pointed to the top message that said he needed to reach Gaeta. The noncom looked at it for a moment then shrugged his shoulders as he went over to the closest comm. unit. Picking it up, he spoke into it for a moment then placed it back in its cradle. Turning, he nodded and said very slowly, "He is on his way," while handing the message back to her.

Angela furrowed her brow for a moment before nodding. 'Thank you.' She quickly realized her mistake and tried to remember the Colonial term, "Uh. . .thank you?" When he smiled and nodded she knew she had gotten it right. She may have had her pda in her pocket, but she wanted to stop leaning on it as heavily has she had since she first arrived. She still felt it was an unwanted crutch that she depended way too much on. If she was going to learn the language as quickly as possible, the best thing was to have no help at all.

It seemed like it was some time before the noncom looked at his watch. Looking at her, he nodded. Angela had no idea what he meant, but she did continue to listen for Gaeta's arrival. A short time later he came around the corner and said something very quickly to the noncom. Once the salutes were given and received, Gaeta turned his attention to her and shook his head while the noncom continued to his destination. "What are you doing here?" he asked slowly.

"Admiral Adama," Angela bristled at his tone while opening up the clipboard. Turning it around she pointed emphatically at the message and the sheets under the message. "I loose. Big ship."

Gaeta scanned the message quickly then commented, "Marines?"

"None," she shook her head. Handing clipboard back to her, Gaeta caught sight of her damaged hand. Without thinking he grasped her wrist and pointed to it and the vivid purple bruise.

'Let go,' Angela tried to pull her arm back. 'It's fine!'

"You could get it hurt worse than it already is if you keep using it." For a moment he contemplated on pulling her in the direction of life station, but quickly decided against it.

'I told you, it's fine!'

"I don't care, you're going to Life Station anyway and get it wrapped up again." Pulling back, he finally released it. Turning on his heel, he began to move quickly down the narrow corridor.

'I do _not_ need to go to sickbay,' she answered after catching up with him. 'My hand is perfectly fine.'

Gaeta stopped and took a step closer, "I was there when you hit the bulkhead. The tech said you fractured several bones." He grasped her wrist again and turned it over, "Does this look healed to you?"

Angela managed to pry his hand free while answering with a huff, 'It's only bruised. It looks worse than it feels.' Taking her good hand she poked him in the chest, 'And I'm perfectly able to take care of myself!' They never noticed confused members of the crew giving them a wide berth when they passed.

Grasping her good wrist, Gaeta pulled her over to a rarely used door. "If it's only bruised, you should be able to open this door."

'I swear,' she muttered under her breath. 'Can't you understand, I'm fine,' she hissed. When he didn't let go, she signed, 'All right! I'll do it.' Only when he released her wrist did she reach over with her bruised hand and grasped the locking mechanism. It took more strength than she anticipated, and forcing it to turn made her hand hurt. _Great, I thought it was better than it was_, she sighed. Angela turned and was about to admit that he was right when she noticed a rather triumphant smirk on his face. Her eyes narrowed and at that moment, she refused to admit that he had been right.

"Now, we are going to Life Station whether you want to or not," he answered triumphantly.

Glancing away, Angela rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she did end up following him. She knew she could get lost too easily on the mammoth ship. _Why can't he see that its only tender? I'm perfectly fine. He thinks I can't do anything without any help_, she silently fumed. If looks could kill, though, he would have been on the deck several passages back. The officers and noncoms that they continued to pass gave them a wide berth as they moved down the corridor. She didn't understand why, and at this point, she really didn't care one way or the other.

When they entered Life Station, she was still seething over the door incident, and ignoring almost everything around her. She didn't even pay any attention to the memorial. Angela was so focused on Gaeta's back, and throwing daggers at it, that she almost ran into him when he stopped. He started talking to the CMO almost too fast for her to follow.

"Major? Any reason why you're here?" Cottle asked while holding onto a file.

"Lieutenant Glennan took off her bandage and has been using her hand when she's not supposed to."

Angela reached over and pulled him around, 'How many times do I have to tell you, my hand is **_fine_**!'

"And what about that door?"

'When you have a bruise, the area hurts. It was the same. I can take care of myself.'

"Not with the way your hand is right now."

Cottle watched the whole argument with amusement. They were so focused on each other that they never noticed the audience they were drawing. _I better stop this before they do something in public they might regret,_ he sighed. The whole thing was really entertaining for him, and it also told him that the new XO had a backbone. He had heard rumors about this particular Terran and how she had easily took out the vice president. The marines that were now coming in for their check ups had been commenting that she was very formidable and one not to get pissed off.

Before he said anything, he let a slight smile cross his face, "Ahem. Why don't you two make it official and get married?" His comment, though, had the desired effect. The two stopped and stared at Cottle for a moment then turned back to each other. It was rather comical seeing their reactions at just how close they were and then spring apart very quickly, almost stumbling over things in their haste to get as much space between them as humanly possible.

Turning back towards Jankowitz, Cottle could barely hide his amused grin. Indicating the table, he glanced back towards Glennan and ordered her to get on it. Turning back to Jankowitz, Cottle commented, "She is Terran."

"I know," the Terran doctor had a bland look on his face, but his eyes told a different story. Compared to the Colonials he had understood the whole argument and was highly entertained by the whole scene.

Angela, for once, had a contrite look on her face as she lifted herself onto the table while at the same time attempting to skirt as far away from Gaeta as she could. When Cottle came back over, he indicated that he wanted to see Angela's damaged hand. Grasping it gently, he commented, "Let me know if this hurts or not."

Angela looked at him with a slightly confused expression before nodding. "Hand. . .soft," she mumbled.

Not fully understanding what she meant, Cottle glanced over to Jankowitz hoping for a better translation.

'Lieutenant, I can translate for you.'

Angela looked at the Terran doctor and nodded. 'It's somewhat tender, but that's about it. It also aches.'

Jankowitz turned back to Cottle and relayed the information. Nodding, the CMO reached for the scanner and fiddled with the controls. He knew he could really get used to using one of them for basic x-rays and other things. It was already making his job easier. "I'm going to scan to see what's going on in there," he commented. Looking up, he saw her nod slowly then sigh. Her eyes strayed towards Gaeta for a moment then snapped back to Cottle.

When the image came up on the screen, Cottle was able to focus in on the damaged sections. It surprised him that the injury wasn't as bad as he expected. "Just a few minor fractures," he muttered

'I took some medication yesterday and a tranquilizer that knocked me out.' She shrugged her shoulders.

Cottle nodded once he got the translation. "That means you should have a file by now." Turning around he called for one of the med techs to see if there was one already made. "Jankowitz, do you know what kind of medication she took?"

"I'm not sure." He shrugged his shoulders, then turned his attention to Glennan. 'He mentioned fractures?'

'Yes. I bruised the bones earlier. And then by accident, created several stress fractures.'

Jankowitz turned back to Cottle and commented, "She was probably given a bone knitting medication. It can be very uncomfortable, so it's normally given with tranquilizers."

Pulling Jankowitz to the side Cottle answered, "She'll need another dose, but not as much as the previous one."

"So there are still some fractures." Jankowitz paused before continuing, "Maybe a light dose of pain meds to help."

While the two doctors discussed in more depth what they wanted to do, Angela looked back over towards Gaeta. He was leaning against the far wall. 'Clipboard,' she said while pointing it. She had placed it on a counter as she came over to the examination table she was sitting on.

After a moments hesitation he nodded then retrieved it. Gaeta stayed a good distance away from her as he handed it over. When she opened it up, she pulled out the email and the attachments that O'Neill sent over and handed those back to him while keeping the clipboard. Seeing that he had information that Adama needed, and that Angela was in good hands, Gaeta nodded then left for CIC.

The rest of the examination went fairly smoothly after another injection and then a topical cream to help promote healing just under the skin. Her hand was wrapped up again, to make sure she didn't overdo it and make the injury any worse than it was, and she was told to keep the bandage on for at least 48 hours.

When they let her go, she got directions on how to get to the supply area. She thought she had actually made it, for once, but found out very quickly that it wasn't supplies, but the hanger deck. 'Damn.' Turning around, she figured she might be able to backtrack and find out where she made a wrong turn. Eventually, she realized that was a bad idea. Like earlier that morning, she found herself in an area that appeared to be rarely used. The vibrations she felt got her to thinking that she was somewhere near the engines, or at least the systems that supported them.

Looking to the wall mounted comm. units, she wished she knew how to operate one. It wasn't going to happen any time soon if she kept getting lost. 'Excuse me,' she called out when she saw someone in an intersecting corridor.

The Colonial turned to look at her with a curious look on her face. Mentally shrugging, Angela pulled out the note once again and pointed to the top message then waited patiently for Gaeta to come and the argument to start up once again.

oOoOo

Shaking her head, Dee got up from her station. She had heard from the previous comm. that the Terran Liaison had managed to get herself lost close to the bow of the ship. The noncom that contacted her stated she had wandered into the aft areas of the mammoth ship. "Sir?" she asked when she came up to Gaeta. He was discussing with Adama the best way to get the information the Terrans had given them into their navigation systems.

Once he scanned the message, Gaeta closed his eyes and shook his head. _This is not happening_, he thought to himself. "Thank you," he answered offhandedly then turned to Adama. "Sir, Lieutenant Glennan is lost again. The first time had been earlier this morning, and she had been in the bow section. This time," he indicated the sheet Dee gave him, "she's somewhere close to Environmentals, in the aft section. Don't ask me how she got there."

Adama's answer was curt, "I don't want this to continue."

"I understand, sir." As he left, he caught sight of President Roslin. She seemed to have an amused look on her face. Once out in the corridor Gaeta realized that if she were as far aft as the noncom had reported, he would have to take the transit system he rarely used. Waiting for a working car took longer than expected. He figured it was down in engineering. That and the entire trip took almost 20 minutes. He only found the two by chance, since he wasn't that familiar with the aft area. Glennan's look of resignation made him close his eyes. It's not that he was angry with her, she just assumed he would be. Before the noncom left, he made sure he got the right directions to get back to the car.

"Sorry."

Wanting to be completely understood, he held out his hand, hoping she had her pda with her. When she produced it, he told her, 'This can't keep happening.'

'I haven't seen any signs to tell me where I'm at,' she complained. 'How am I to get the job done if I keep getting lost?'

Gaeta shook his head. He had no idea what to do with that issue. When they reached the forward section, they left the car and continued on. Turning into another corridor, he happened to catch a placard still on the wall from the time the ship was being converted over to a museum. He hesitated for a moment before changing directions.

'Where are we going?' Angela asked at the sudden change. She could tell they were heading back towards the bow of the ship, but that was about it.

When he finally stopped, he pulled first one and then another door open and let her enter. The room was quite large and was mostly glass enclosed, which was not conducive to a warship. In the center, the enclosure had been repaired with some kind of large metal panels. Angela was looking at the ship that lay in a tangled mess in the center of the room when Gaeta came up beside her. The whole area though, was very odd. It was something that you found in a museum, rather than a working ship.

"C'mon." He used his head to show her where he wanted to go. Nodding she followed him into another area. For all purposes, it looked like a store with display cases, but nothing was there. In the back area were boxes stacked from the deck to the ceiling. As he was pawing through several of them, Angela wandered around to see what was there. In one box she found several different books. One looked like it might be interesting. She could at least recognize the name of the ship on the spine of the book. Pulling it out she found to her delight, a full picture of the warship she was currently aboard on the front cover.

"Glennan?"

Angela snapped back from her study of the book with a slightly guilty cringe.

Gaeta had come over to where she was and handed her a folded pamphlet. "Here is a general map of the forward sections of the _Galactica_. It should help you until I can get you a better one."

"Have?" she asked as she handed the book over.

Gaeta narrowed his eyes slightly. He had not seen this particular book before. Taking it, he flipped through the pages, hoping that it wouldn't be revealing any information about the Cylons. It did though, especially how they created them. "Not yet," he answered while putting it back in the closest open box. "I need to talk to Admiral Adama about it first."

'Okay.'

Confusion spread across his face for a moment before letting it pass. He knew he needed to at least close the boxes up again. One had high end quality watches in it. Those needed to be in a much safer place than where they were located at the present time.

"I want go to supply," Angela commented as they closed the two airlocks.

"Until you know how to get to each place, you need to have a guide, probably a marine, to help you get to where you need to go."

Angela nodded in agreement. She knew he had his own duties to fulfill, and leading her around everywhere wasn't conducive to either of them. For now, though, he would get her back into the areas she was familiar with. When he finally dropped her off, it was in the area that the marines frequented. Hadrian was the first to notice her and smiled. When she caught sight of Gaeta, the marine sergeant immediately saluted. Once it was received, Gaeta told the marine that he couldn't afford to keep having to retrieve the Terran Liaison and get her back into the bow section. He then commented that it might be good to have one of her students to help her for now. When he felt everything was squared away, he headed back to CIC; he had been gone long enough.

"Sir, it shouldn't happen that much anymore," he reported once he was back in CIC.

"I want a report on that as soon as the jump test sequences are underway."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir, Commander Tigh reports that they are ready to begin the FTL test."

"Good." Adama moved over towards Dee's station. "Send a signal to the Terrans. FTL test will be commencing in five minutes."

"Yes, sir." Dee nodded.

"Raptors are in position," Gaeta commented while studying the closest DRADIS screen. When they jumped he continued, "Test is underway."

"Good." Bill glanced over to Roslin for a moment before bringing his attention back to the DRADIS screens.

"First raptor has returned and is reporting. Looks like all is clear, sir." Gaeta nodded to Dee as he handed the headset back to her. He had been listening in on the comm. traffic between the _Pegasus_ and the raptors.

Within minutes, the mammoth battlestar jumped to the first coordinates, followed by the civilian ships.

"Sir?" Dee started while pulling her ear piece out. "I'm getting a signal from the Terrans. O'Neill wishes to speak to you."

Adama moved back over to Dee's station and nodded. "Put her on," he said as he reached for the spair headset.

_"Admiral Adama."_

"This is Adama."

_"What the hell just happened? We had no warning of this_," she continued rather excitedly.

"We are testing the FTL drives. Everything is going according to plan," he answered offhandedly.

_"Admiral," _she began slowly. _"When the capital ship left, we could not track it. It just disappeared from our sensors. And when the civilian ships disappeared, all we saw was a flash of something and they were gone. If this is your way of traveling great distances, we might have a problem."_

_Interesting_, Bill thought. This was completely unexpected. Apparently, the Terrans were able to track ships through their own version of hyper light jumps like the cylons. He couldn't help but smile at the prospect of what had just happened. It all meant that if need be, they could get out of there and not be tracked at the same time. Still keeping his comments sufficiently vague, Adama cut the signal off and turned back to Gaeta, who returned the look.

"Sir, Lieutenant Glennan appeared to have the attitude that we are primitive compared to the Terrans."

Adama answered wryly, "Well, this should change their attitudes fairly quickly."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta smiled.

Bill folded his arms, "You were saying earlier that Glennan shouldn't be getting lost nearly as much as she has."

"Yes, sir. I remembered there were some self-guide maps of the _Galactica_. I retrieved one of those for her to use."

Adama's eyes narrowed, "Did she see any of the museum?"

"Uh, yes, sir." Gaeta lowered his head, now realizing his mistake.

"What did she see?"

"I'm not sure. I do know she found a book on the history of the _Galactica_. She wanted it, but I didn't let her. It had too much information about the history of the Cylons."

"Good."

"I'm sorry about revealing that, sir. I wasn't thinking."

"We will just have to deal with the issues as they come up. The Terran Liaison has proven she can be trusted so far."

"Yes, sir."

"If she asks you anything about what she saw, you are not to answer her questions. I do want you to tell me immediately."

"Yes, sir."

"Where is she right now?"

"She was trying to get to supply. I have no idea how she ended up in the aft section." Gaeta shook his head. "I left her with the marines. They seemed pleased to see her."

A few hours, and no lost Terran Liaison calls, later the civilian ships start reappearing suddenly. As each came back they moved full throttle towards the fleet and the _Galactica_.

"Sir, I'm getting a signal from the _Gemanon Traveler_," Dee spoke up.

"What are they doing back this early?" Adama asked as he moved back over to her station.

"I'm not sure, there's a lot of confusion on the channel." She spoke directly into her mic, trying to calm down the pilot. After a few minute, she turned her attention back to Adama. "Sir, it seems that they were jumped by the Cylons. There's no mention of any basestars near by. _Pegasus_ remained behind to cover the jump."

"Frak," Adama muttered. And they still haven't been able to fully integrate the navigation information that had been sent over. They were stuck here until they were able to fully translate the navigation information into the FTL computers.

"Send a message to O'Neill. Tell her that the Cylons are near."

TBC...


	31. Chapter 31

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 31  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-one_**

_"What do you mean, the cylons are near?"_ Mair asked critically once she had the communications opened between the two sides. This was not what she had been expecting.

"Launch the Alert vipers, and put the rest in the tubes," Adama ordered while turning to Dee.

"Aye, sir."

Bill looked back to the plotting table. Gaeta was having a difficult time trying to translate the Terran navigation information for their systems. "Yes, they're near. I'm not sure how much time we have left before they find us here. We're still working on translating the information you sent over." After a pause, he continued, "Until the _Pegasus_ returns we need to be extra vigilant." Disconnecting the line, Adama turned his attention back to the plotting table. "How is it coming?"

"I don't know, sir," Gaeta tried to keep his frustration from showing. There were too many variables that he had to deal with the integration. "I've figured out most of the information, but these points," he indicated the seemingly random non-labeled points on the plotting table, "we have no reference for. I have no idea what they're for." He took a deep breath and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, sir."

Adama thought for a moment before answering, "But you have the coordinates to where we need to go?"

Gaeta straightened up, "Almost, sir. I just need to cross reference them before running them through the FTL computer."

"DRADIS contact," Dee said loudly the moment her board lighted up.

"Identify." Adama looked up to the screens set above the table.

"Friendlies," Dee answered after a moment. "Sir, it's the _Pegasus._"

_"Sorry about the late return, sir. We took a nuke close to engineering,"_ Tigh's voice came across the speakers.

"Have the cap take a look at her and report back." Adama picked up the handset and keyed in a sequence. "Tigh, I want you to position the _Pegasus_ on the other side of the civilians. We're still in the process of getting the final coordinates for the jump."

_"Yes, sir."_

"Did you lose anyone?"

_"Yes, but it could have been much worse. We were lucky."_

"Get what vipers you can ready as soon as possible. If the Cylons jumped you, they will easily be able to find us here." Lowering the hand set Adama turned his attention back to Dee. "I want the Terran liaison up here."

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

_"Galactica Actual, this is Starbuck."_

"What is it?" he asked after he picked up a headset.

_"Sir, the _Pegasus _is venting gas in the engineering section. Looks like she was hit pretty hard."_

"Thank you." He placed the headset back down and turned his attention back to the plotting table. Gaeta had finished the cross referencing and was putting them into the FTL computer as quickly as he could. Lieutenant Darin was also there, reporting the coordinates as soon as the computer could create them. He noted idly that she was spending more and more time in CIC in the tactical position than the rest of his XO's former subordinates.

"Sir, I'm getting energy spikes from the Terran ships." Darin hesitated for a moment when the tactical screen started reporting odd things. She tried a few things to see if the screen cleared up, but it didn't. She stood up and looked to Adama. "Admiral, I've lost two Terran ships and the other two now have very messy signals. DRADIS can't seem to get a solid lock on them."

"DRADIS contact," she said as she looked back at the tactical screen.

"Identify."

"Three Cylon basestars and," she hesitated as the computer calculated the fighters. "Fifty raiders coming in point two-five with additional raiders detected launching from the basestars."

"Bring weapons grid up to full power," Gaeta said as he looked towards Adama. This was the first time for him to be in any type of fire-fight and not be at tactical.

"Weapons grid to full power," Kelly responded.

"Enemy suppression barrage; fire on my mark," Adama said calmly as he gazed up at the DRADIS screen. The large Terran destroyer was somewhat off to the side, if the DRADIS was giving him the right information. And the smaller ship had taken up station above the fleet. The two other ships were still with them. Even though he couldn't really see them, he could feel it. With all that the Terrans had done for them in the past week, he felt they had too much of a vested interest to just cut and run, especially since both hospital and disaster-relief vessels had imbedded themselves within the civilian fleet.

The DRADIS screen easily showed raiders pouring out of the three basestars. No telling how many were being launched. "Enemy suppression fire all batteries; execute."

"All batteries commence firing," Gaeta relayed the order. Soon from deep inside you could hear and feel the rhythmic sounds of the weapons cycling. This was one of the rare times Adama had them use the barrage weapons. They only had so much ammunition, and once that was gone, that was it.

For a moment, Gaeta took a step towards the tactical, then stopped when Darin reached it first. "Perimeter established," she announced as she did a quick appraisal of the DRADIS screen.

"Launch vipers."

"Vipers, you are cleared to launch," Dee relayed down to the flight pod. Soon space was filled with what vipers the Colonial military had left. It was a lopsided battle, though. The Terrans for the moment were not getting involved. Adama could understand why, but he knew if they didn't, they wouldn't survive the onslaught of three basestars and the raiders that came from them.

"Vipers in p-position," Darin stammered. The stress of the position was starting to get to her.

Adama ignored her and continued, "Signal vipers engage fighters only; leave basestars to us. Execute."

"You're doing fine, Heather," Gaeta said softly as he leaned over her shoulder.

"Yes, sir," she nodded while swallowing hard. She had been in CIC when they had left Ragnar, she had only been in a support position at that time. This time, she was working tactical, and during a major battle.

"XO, what are the Terrans doing?" The main DRADIS screens overhead only showed the large ships.

Leaning over one of the tactical screens, Gaeta had it pan around to see if he could find out anything. The space where O'Neill's ship had been was quickly filling up with fighters. "Sir, it looks as if the Terrans are launching their fighters."

"Thank you."

* * *

'Extra vigilant,' Mair muttered.

'Ma'am, what was that all about?' Jack asked. He was standing a few paces behind her.

'That the cylons, or whatever they are called, are nearby.' Before the exhaustion even had a chance to hit her, she moved over to an empty chair that was bolted to the deck and sat down.

'Set Condition Three throughout the fleet. Get the fighters ready and have them launch. We are not to engage anyone unless I so order.'

'Yes, ma'am,' came the chorus of voices from her command center.

'New contact!' Harris called out.

'What is it?'

Harris ran his hands over the controls for a moment before answering, 'It's the other capital. Looks like she got hit. Venting some sort of gas.'

'Get me the _Maebh_1.' Mair paused for a moment before continuing, 'Donelson?'

_'Yes, Captain?'_

'Go to stealth protocols. Looks like the party is about to begin.'

_'Yes, ma'am. Activating stealth.'_

'Thompson, same here, set emcon.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'I also need the _Medusa_ and _Katana_.'

'I have them both on,' Harris responded quickly. 'Oh nelly, three just popped up.' Harris hesitated before continuing, 'And the cylons don't wait either. Looks like at least 4 squadrons are headed straight for the Colonials.'

'Gentlemen, countermeasures, please. Do not fire unless you are fired upon. The fleet is going to gq. Repeat set general quarters throughout the fleet.'

_'Yes, ma'am,'_ they answered then disconnected.

Mair looked at the Hi-Res screen for a moment. The two Colonial warships were now sending out some type of barrage. She couldn't tell exactly what it was until explosions started happening within it. _And my hands are tied_, she thought.

The _Katana_, though, was stationed a fair distance from the fleet and the fight that was ramping up fairly quickly. You could tell she was not a part of it. The Cylons didn't care. They assumed there were humans on board since they were helping the Colonials, so went after her with a vengeance. When the raiders got close enough no amount of countermeasures worked, and the fighters were moving too fast for the frigate to follow them with what weapons she did have.

'Get me _Katana_,' Mair said while leaning forward. What she saw did not look good. When the line was open she almost yelled into it, 'Whittle, get your ass out of there!' She was too late. The small frigate had been hit by a hefty missile. Gases and what looked like fluid was venting from the missile's point of contact on the frigate forcing it to move from its current position. 'Whittle! Can you hear me?'

'Ma'am I can't get anything to go through. Looks like everything is down right now,' Harris said worriedly.

'Keep trying.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'Captain, are we to engage the enemy?' Jack asked from his position on the other side of the command center.

'Hell yes! That was an unprovoked attack on a neutral power.' She took a deep breath before continuing, 'Fighter control, clear to engage. Cylons are hostile. Repeat, clear to engage; cylons are hostile. Have a cap placed on all Terran vessels.' Mair looked to the screen for a moment. 'Open a link to the rest. And if you can get the _Katana_, all the better.'

Moments later Harris announced, 'Link is up. It's stating that the _Katana_ can hear and respond, but I'm not sure.'

'Thank you, Harris. Gentlemen?' she started. 'That was an uncalled for and unprovoked attack on a neutral power. You know we're not set up for this, but we will do what we can. We are now officially at Condition One. Donelson, are you in position?'

_'Almost, Captain.'_

'Good, when you are, you can fire at will. Henson, I want you to see if you can stay close to the Colonial capital that got hit earlier. She might need some backup.'

_'Yes, ma'am.'_

'Whittle, are you still there? Can you hear me?' Mair thought a moment before continuing, 'If you can hear me, I want you to roll 180. Repeat, roll 180.'

_'For all the good it'll do me, Captain,'_ he answered dryly.

'How bad?'

_'Bad. I lost half my crew.'_

Mair closed her eyes in sympathy for a moment. 'Do you have any weapons?'

_'Not sure yet, main power was knocked off line. I have some aux and maybe some weapons. What people I have left are working hard to get the power back online.'_

'Do what you can. If need be duck into the cloud.'

_'I might have to.'_

Mair eventually let a smile cross her face. She knew he would do it even without her approval. She signed before answering. 'Jolly good. Do what you can.'

_'Copy.'_

'Get me Adama,' Mair commanded.

* * *

_"They went after one of my ships. It looks like we're in now."_ Mair's voice came across the speakers through the viper pilot's comm. channel. _"We'll do what we can, Admiral."_

"Thank you," Adama answered. _Bitch of a way to get involved,_ he thought.

Once the smaller Terran ship was completely incapacitated, the Cylons went after the other Terran ship. Soon it was obvious to all involved what the raiders were attempting to do. The _Medusa_'s defensive weapons were good, but were slowly being overwhelmed by the large amount of raiders attacking it. There was a flash explosion and then a raider that was blinded by it, plowed into the forward section, setting off both the smaller nukes it held, and the FTL drive.

_'Henson, are you still there? Can you hear me?'_ Mair paused a moment before continuing, _'If you can hear me, I want you to rotate on your axis.'_ She never realized that she had a live audio feed to the _Galactica_.

Adama looked over to Gaeta then asked, "Do you know what she's saying?"

"Not really," Gaeta answered while shaking his head. "I think something happened to another Terran ship."

"They're going after the Terrans," Adama said quietly.

"So it seems."

_'If you can hear me, we've lost Captain Henson.' _an unknown voice eventually responded.

_'And you are?'_ Mair answered.

_'Matthews, the XO.'_

_'Matthews, I want you to bug out of here.'_

_'If you think I'm going to turn tail and run, you've got another thing coming,' _he answered with a hard edge to his voice.

_'You're half blind. There's nothing you can really do.'_

_'Except hand off control to the computers.'_

_'Matthews, you must have hit your head on that missile,' _she commented.

_'Captain, this way what's left of the girl will still be able to fight. Just let the Colonials know that they will be safe since the computer is controlling everything.'_

Mair eventually answered, _'Do what you can.'_

_'Copy.'_

_'Get me Adama again,' _Mair commanded.

"We're still here," Adama answered when he heard his name.

_"Did you get all that?"_ she answered with surprise in her voice.

"Yes, but we were not able to understand," he answered with a slight smile.

_"Don't worry about the _Medusa_. Though she's hit, she's not out of it yet."_

"Incoming ordinance!" Heather called out frantically.

"Radiological alarm," Dee confirmed.

Gaeta looked up and realized for the first time that Angela had been in CIC for some time. She was looking around very confused and very worried at the same time.

"Brace for impact," Adama said calmly as he watched the DRADIS.

Nodding, Gaeta looked back up to Glennan's position and got the noncom's attention beside her. He pointed emphatically to the Terran while looking to the Colonial, hoping to get his point across. When she looked up to the DRADIS she nodded quickly and reached over and took Glennan's hand and placed it firmly on the console. Angela looked in confusion for a moment and was about to pull her hand away when the missile struck.

The force of the impact threw her to the hard deck. She smacked her head against the side of the console on her way down. For a moment or two, she lay there dazed. When her head finally cleared she looked around. Everyone else were still either in their seats or standing up. Some instrumentation was out, but most of it was still working. She reached her good hand out to steady herself as she pushed herself into a seated position. _It feels like I'm in the middle of a drum._

Dee had managed to stay in her seat and was now making sure her station was still working properly. When she put the headpiece back on she found she was getting a very insistent message from O'Neill.

_"Adama!"_

Not bothering to go over to Dee's station, Bill picked up the handset plugged into the center board. "This is Adama," he answered calmly.

_"Is everything all right? You just took one hell of a hit in the forward section."_

Bill looked over to dc area. "The hull plating kept out most of the hard stuff, and the water tanks took care of the rest. We'll be fine." Not waiting for her answer, he placed the handset back in its cradle then turned to Gaeta. "Check the damage control board. Make sure the ship is secure."

Gaeta swallowed hard, "Yes, sir." While moving towards damage control, he looked up, hoping to see if Angela was all right. When the ship had stopped shuddering he had looked around to see if everything was in order. It worried him that she wasn't standing. The noncom. that had been beside her was leaning over and doing something. Once he got a clear view he found she had been thrown to the deck. A medic was there making sure she was all right. He felt oddly relieved seeing that she was being tended too. At that point he found he could push his concern for her from his mind and get back to what he needed to get done.

After a quick inspection of the damage control board, Gaeta reported back that the hull plating had held sufficiently. Calls were coming into the area and they were reporting casualties. It sounded like they were not due to any radiation poisoning, which was a good thing.

Above the confusion of the strike, they could hear the pilots talking to each other. Grabbing a headset, Adama spoke into it, "Starbuck."

_"Sir?"_

"The Terrans, how good are they?"

_"They had a lot of problems when they first engaged the raiders."_ She paused for a moment before continuing, _"Not anymore though. They're just as good as ours, their style, though, is definitely different."_

Nodding, Bill gave the headset back to Dee and looked back up to the DRADIS. So far the Cylons had not targeted any of the civilian ships. He knew they had to be terrified at the sight of another battle in less than a week after the first one.

_"Frak! What was that?"_ Hotdog's voice came across the speakers.

_"Did you see that?"_ Duck's voice answered.

"Starbuck, what's going on out there?" Gaeta asked after he grabbed a headset.

_"I have no idea what just happened, or who did it, but one basestar has been completely destroyed. Some of the raiders are trying to find out who was responsible," _she answered excitedly.

Gaeta let a smile cross his face while turning to Adama then looked up to the DRADIS screen. They couldn't see the ship at all with the main screens, but on the secondary ones they could see a blank area where the ship should be. After the Cylons got over their shock, they were now trying to go after it with a vengeance, but they were having a hard time finding it. Her engines were also shielded. If you knew what you were looking for, then you could spot her. Other than that, it was like a dark blue image against a black background.

Soon enough, the second of the two remaining basestars started drifting at an odd angle as if she lost attitude control. Before the small Terran ship had a chance to go against it, it jumped. The last basestar jumped soon after that, leaving the raiders to get back on their own. The ones that could jump, did leaving damaged or shattered cylon fighters behind.

"Bring the vipers home."

"Yes, sir," Dee answered then focused her attention on her board. "Vipers, come on home. Repeat, come on home." Once they started coming in, Dee found it was more than just the vipers that came on board. Several of the more crippled Terran fighters were also landing. "Sir," she said when most had arrived. "We have several crippled Terran fighters requesting permission to land."

"Have them escorted by the closest available vipers." Adama then sent a signal to O'Neill once her ship reappeared on DRADIS. "O'Neill."

_"Yes, Admiral?"_

"What happened to that second basestar?"

_"They tried to shove a worm through our fighter's datalinks. I would think they would be smarter than that,"_ she answered offhandedly. _"That missile you took. Are you sure you're all right?"_

"Yes, Captain. We're fine. We've withstood much larger nukes before."

_"Nukes!"_

Adama smiled before answering, "The _Galactica_ was made to withstand heavy combat conditions."

_"Admiral. I want to tell you this now. I do not have the resources with me to go against the Cylons in a sustained battle. We were very lucky today. If my flight decks were hit, my squadrons would have no place to land."_

Adama hesitated a minute before answering, "They could have safe haven here. The _Galactica_ has room."

It was Mair's turn to hesitate, _"Thank you for the offer. It might take you up on that, even now."_

"I said that because we already have several of your fighters requesting permission to land here. They were too crippled to get back to your ship."

_"Thank you. I'll have them retrieved as soon as possible."  
_

* * *

  
Mair turned her attention back to the _Katana_, better yet, what was left of her. The _Medusa_ would be all right. She just needed a little help. The frigate, though, looked like it would be a total loss.

"Harris, send a message over to the _Mercy_. I want them to get all the wounded off the _Katana_. We will bring the rest on board here."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered.

When that was completed she continued, "I now want you to get me the _Katana_." She waited while the line was connecting. "Whittle?"

_"Yes, ma'am."_

"The _Mercy_ is sending over a shuttle to offload all wounded. The rest are to come over here if you're not able to get to the closest buoy. Are you?"

_"Sad to say, but no. Engines were hit. I'll start the scuttling process and then bring my logs over."_

"I'll send a shuttle over for that. See you in a day."

* * *

Gaeta glanced over to Adama while he was talking to O'Neill. Things had calmed down somewhat once the Cylons had left the area. They were victorious, but the Terrans had paid a hefty price for their actions. Half of their heavy ships were damaged, and there was no telling how many fighters they had lost when they joined the battle. Without thinking, he went back up a level to the general area Glennan had been before the nuke hit. She was sitting under the ladder that lead to the upper level of CIC with her face in her hands.

"Are you all right?" he asked slowly as he kneeled in front of her.

'Does it look it?' she asked in English. 'I smacked my head while falling.' Pulling her face out of her hands she looked at him and realized she was speaking in English. "I hurt head."

Gaeta stifled an impulse to reach out and turn her face to see if she was physically injured. "I'll be back," he commented as he got back to his feet. When he came back down he ignored what looked like amused glances from the other CIC crew and came back up to Adama.

"The Terran fighters we retrieved will stay on board until O'Neill has a chance to retrieve them." Though Adama's voice was calm, he had a slightly curious look in his eyes.

"It was the liaison," Gaeta said softly.

Adama nodded as he turned his attention back to the system recovery operations. Once everything had calmed down sufficiently, Bill left CIC to Gaeta and headed back to his cabin. The marines guarding the door snapped to attention as he came up. "As you were," he commented as he pulled the door open. Once inside he pulled it closed.

"It's worse listening and not being able to do anything about it," Laura said while standing behind him.

Turning around he pulled her into a strong embrace. "I know, I've had to deal with it ever since I made the transition." He pulled away and looked at her. "Are you all right?"

"Yes." She pulled away from his arms and moved over to the couch. "Noncoms were already here making sure everything was secure." Once she collapsed on the couch she pulled her feet up. "How are the Terrans?"

"Took a major beating," he answered while sitting down beside her. "One ship looks like it can't be repaired, and another looks like it's crippled."

"Bill, they didn't have to get involved," Laura shook her head, then leaned it against his shoulder as he pulled his arm around her.

Bill was quiet for some time before he answered, "The Cylons specifically went after them. Once they were attacked, they got involved. We were lucky."

"Luck of the gods," she mumbled as she began playing with the top button of his uniform.

"I see it more as training coming out. They weren't afraid to fight once they were attacked. They told me they're not prepared for a sustained engagement, though, and I think they're telling the truth." Leaning over, he kissed her hair as he tightened his arm around her.

Laura looked up as she raised her hand to run though his short hair, "I think it might have only been because she wasn't prepared."

Bill let a ghost of a smile cross his face as he reached for her. "I'm not sure about that," he eventually answered.

"Maybe not about that. . ." she commented as her hand strayed south.

Giving her a suggestive smile, he pulled her around so she was now straddling him. Things progressed fairly quickly and it was only after everything had come to a head that he begin to wonder, _Interesting how this always seems to happens after we face death. Is it some sort of ancient impulse?_

"So," she mumbled into his neck, "How long are we to stay here?"

"Depends on when you want to move."

Laura looked up and saw amusement in his eyes. "I wasn't referring to this." She couldn't help but smile at his comment.

"I know. I think we will be here for most of the day. O'Neill has to find out the extent of the damages that two of her ships sustained. Kara commented that the first ship got hit hard. It might not be flight worthy anymore."

_"CIC to Admiral."_

Bill closed his eyes as Laura slid off. Once free, he reached over for the comm. unit. "Adama."

_"Sir, Lieutenant Darin was looking over the navigation information Captain O'Neill sent over this morning. She thinks she knows what the last points are for,"_ Gaeta said calmly over the line.

"Which is?"

_"She thinks it's for their navigation. A buoy system for both navigation and sending and receiving communications."_

"What are your thoughts on it?" Bill asked while looking over to his office.

_"I am inclined to believe her. It does seem the best answer for now."_

"Agreed," Bill answered. Now that he thought about it, it did seem perfectly plausible. He hesitated before continuing, "Report to my quarters in 30."

_"Yes, sir,"_ Gaeta answered.

As Bill replaced the comm. unit Laura asked, "What was that all about?"

"I think I have a new tactical officer," he answered with a smile.

Straightening out her skirt, Laura commented, "That's good."

"Gaeta will be here in 30 minutes. That gives us some time to get cleaned up before he arrives."

Laura leaned over and kissed him lightly. "That would be good," she gave him an amused smile, then got to her feet.

By the time Gaeta reported, they had both cleaned up. Laura was now in the VIP quarters taking care of government business while Bill was seated at his desk looking over the never ending reports he got constantly.

"Sir?" Gaeta asked as he stepped inside.

"I asked you here so we could discuss Darin's future." Adama waited while Gaeta came over and sat down in one of the chairs. "I've been looking over her file. She seems competent enough for the position."

"Yes, she does," Gaeta nodded. "I never thought to look for something like a buoy system."

"I think it's because you didn't grow up near the water," Adama commented as he leaned back.

"No, sir. I was about as far inland as you could get."

Nodding, Bill leaned over and grasped the comm. unit. "Have Lieutenant Darin report to my quarters." Not waiting for the answer, he disconnected the line.

When she showed up, she seemed very nervous. "Sir?" she asked as she saluted.

"As you were," Adama answered. "Have a seat."

When she was settled, he began, "Major Gaeta has told me he thinks you're the one for tactical. I am inclined to believe him."

"Y-yes, sir," she answered nervously.

"When you leave these quarters, you will be tactical officer." Adama smiled when she realized she was being put there permanently. "Your suggestion of the plot points being part of a buoy system was a good idea. It was one neither of us had thought about."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed."

When she left, her back seemed a little bit straighter, and she walked with more confidence.

"How long are we going to be here?" Gaeta asked when they were alone.

"Haven't heard from the Terrans yet. I suspect at least a day."

_"CIC to Admiral,"_ Dee's voice came over the speaker.

Bill, reached for the unit again. "Adama."

_"Sir, O'Neill is on the line."_

"Put her through." He looked over to Gaeta. There was no way for him to hear the conversation. "Yes, Captain?"

_"I wish to inform you that the_ Katana _will have to be scuttled. We are in the process right now of taking care of that."_

"Scuttle?"

_"Admiral, Terra is now in a shooting war with the Cylons. We cannot take the chance of the _Katana _falling into enemy hands."_

Thank you, Captain. How much longer will it be?"

_"Commander Whittle is in the process of overriding the last of the generators. It should be no more than two hours at the maximum. She is being maneuvered clear of your fleet as we speak, but it's slow going with her main drives off-line. If you want, you might be able to watch."_

"I'll keep that in mind. Let me know when it's time to move."

_"Can do."_

Adama replaced the comm. unit back and turned to Gaeta. "The Terrans have to destroy one of their ships. I think it was the smaller one that was hit hard during the battle."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta nodded then rose. "I'll head back to CIC."

"Have Darin disperse the new coordinates to the rest of the fleet."

oOoOo

The scuttling procedure went on schedule and once engineering exploded the Terran bombers then went in and finished off what was left of the _Katana_. The explosions were set in such a way that all derbies moved away from the civilian fleet.

_"Admiral, I'll meet you at the buoy in three hours,"_ O'Neill said over the comm. channel.

Adama disconnected the line and then had Dee put him on the fleet wide channel. "Prepare for FTL jump."

It took the Colonials a total of three jumps to make it to the buoy. The clock showed it was just shy of one and a half hours. And another fifteen minutes for the Colonials to figure out where it was, and jump directly to it. The scans showed that the Terrans were not there. They stayed there for another hour before the first Terran ships showed up. DRADIS scans informed Adama that the ships were not the Terran ones that O'Neill was commanding.

After waiting another thirty or so minutes the five ships appeared.

TBC...

* * *

1 pronounced: mave 


	32. Chapter 32

Title: Faoi DheireadhPart: 32  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-two_**

Kara shuddered at the image that was burned into her brain from the flight pod. It was something she would not forget for some time. Of the crippled Terran fighters that attempted to land safely, one didn't made it. Something happened to make it veer out of the landing area and crash headlong into the inside wall of the pod. The resulting explosion was intense enough to know that no one made it out alive. The second fighter clipped the side of the exploded fighter and skidded to a mangled heap somewhat close to the other end of the pod. That pilot managed to survive.

Right now she was in Life Station, wanting to know if that other pilot would make it or not. Since she had arrived she had spent her time offering prayers to Helios, praying that the Terran would make it. She couldn't stay for very long, though she wished she could; there was the never ending paperwork she had to take care of, and then the flight schedules. She looked around after she stood up, then exited. As she entered the corridor several medics rushed by with a comatose patient. Not thinking about it, she headed back to the pilot's ready room. It took some time before she finished up the paperwork for the shift. Once finished, she pushed the last of the paper to the side and looked up as the ten-minute jump warning was given. Though patience wasn't in her nature, Kara forced herself to wait until it was completed.

Leaving her small office she thought she might be able to find Gaeta for a possible quickie. Kat, who apparently saw the look on her face when she passed by, quickly caught up with her. "I know where you're going," Kat said, rather amused.

"What do you care?"

"Don't bother," Kat shrugged her shoulders. "He's not interested in you anymore."

Starbuck stopped short and pulled Kat around until they were standing nose to nose, "What are you talking about?"

Taking a step back, Kat let a smirk cross her face. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

For a moment Kara was speechless. Kat took the opportunity to take another step back and start moving down the corridor. "He's more interested in officers that play with marines," she said right before she turned the corner.

Starbuck took a step to follow Kat, then stopped. "He said she wasn't his girlfriend," she muttered. _Interesting_, she thought to herself. _Maybe. . ._ she turned around and headed back to the pilots room with a smirk on her face.

* * *

The final set of coordinates Adama received from O'Neill housed what looked like an outpost. It reminded him somewhat of the Armistice Station, but that was it. "Report," he ordered.

"Nothing so far, sir," Heather reported.

_What's taking them so long,_ Adama thought. "Double the CAP. I don't want any surprises."

"Yes, sir."

They were there for at least an hour before the Terran ships began to appear. "Set Condition Two throughout the fleet," Adama ordered. In response, the fleet tightened the spaces between the vessels. It remained quiet until one of the Terran cruisers showed up. The ship remained stationary for a short time then arrogantly brushed dangerously close to the fleet and parked itself. In response, Adama had the fleet back away while the two battlestars took up a defensive posture. "Tell them to back off," Adama told Dee brusquely.

After a moment Dee answered, "Sir, they either cannot hear us, or are ignoring my signals."

"Set Condition One and have the civilians spool up their FTL drives. If that ship does anything, then we will jump."

"Yes, sir." Dee turned back to her console to relay the information.

"Darin, I want you to distribute the new coordinates in case we do leave."

Heather swallowed hard, "Yes, sir." She scurried over to the FTL area to get the points ready for transfer.

"Sir, I think I would wait until O'Neill shows up to make sure," Gaeta offered quietly.

"DRADIS contact," Darin announced.

"Who is it?"

Gaeta glanced at the tactical screens, then smiled as he answered, "Five ships. Looks like O'Neill."

"Took her long enough," Bill muttered. "Send a signal to her. I want to know what in Hades is going on," he continued louder.

"Yes, sir," Dee answered while nodding.

_"Admiral, O'Neill here,"_ her voice came across very frustrated.

"Captain, have that ship back off."

_"I've already told him, but Franchetti isn't one to back down that easily,"_ she answered testily. _"If you can move again, I can have Donelson slip his ship between you and the _San Jac. _That way you can move further away for more space."_

"How about forcing him to leave?"

_"I can't. He has the official liaison on board."_

Both Adama and Gaeta looked up to where Glennan had been. She had not taken the first jump very well, and had to sit down once again. The others she had been able to handle better. When she found out about the Terran pilots, she had excused herself and had a marine show her to the hanger deck. The two senior officers had developed a mindset that she was going to be the permanent liaison, so this came as a surprise.

Eventually, the cruiser backed away. That left Adama wondering once again what types of games that particular commander was playing. It was not nice what he did.

"Sir, are we going to stay here?" Gaeta asked quietly.

"It depends on the Terrans."

Eventually Adama had the FTL drives spooled back down. There was no reason to keep them ready when it seemed that they would not be needed.

"Sir, it's O'Neill again."

"Yes, Captain?" Adama asked after he picked up the headset again.

_"Captain Franchetti insists that the Liaison be brought on board immediately."_

"We are not a part of the Terran Military," Adama countered.

_"I told him that, but he ignored it,"_ her voice had genuine anger in it now.

"Tell him, that if he tries, we will take it as a threat against the civilian population and have it neutralized. When we feel we are ready, then he will be _invited_." Turning around, he said, "Bring the weapons grid online."

_"I will definitely relay that message to him. He will not be happy, but he will comply."_ Recognizing his rank with a curt _"Admiral,"_ she disconnected the line.

Adama handed the set back to Dee. Turning back to the center board, he picked up the comm. unit and punched a few buttons. "Madam President?"

_"Any reason why we are at Condition One? I was under the impression that we would not need to be that jumpy."_

"There is an arrogant Terran commander that thinks otherwise. He also has the official liaison on board. We can have him or her brought over when you feel ready."

_"What about Lieutenant Glennan?"_

"I'm not sure about that right now. I would think we could keep her on board because of the marines," he answered softly.

_"Give me an hour, then I should be ready to receive the new liaison."_

"Yes, ma'am." Adama put the handset back down then turned back to Dee. "Send a message to O'Neill. Tell her one hour."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Adama arrived at the hanger deck escorting Roslin. The marine detachment that had been requested had already arrived, and was moving into position. Near the entrance into the hanger the press had set up their cameras to capture the historic arrival and to broadcast it as soon as possible. Playa was already giving a verbal description across the wireless of what was happening. The shuttle from the Terran cruiser was still in the pod and was in the process of being brought down into the hanger deck. It was about the size of one of the raptors, so there wasn't any problems handling its size. Gaeta was already there and waiting for the two leaders.

The noncoms that worked in the hanger, except the ones that were helping bring the shuttle down, had scattered, leaving the cavernous room somewhat empty. Vipers were in various stages of maintenance or cannibalization within their respected hangers. The few Terran fighters they had collected after the battle were in a far corner, not even touched.

Just as the shuttle was brought to a halt, Angela pushed her way through the marines and then put herself on the outside of Gaeta. To his other side stood Adama and then Roslin. The XO gave her a perturbed look which she answered with a flash of anger in her own eyes. "I tell later," she whispered.

The new liaison stepped down from the shuttle. He was wearing the same type of uniform that Glennan wore on occasion but subtly different. Stopping in front of Adama he said, 'I am Captain René Soblet. I have come here to be the official liaison. You are. . .?' He stopped when Bill gave him a slightly confused look. 'Can't you speak English?' Soblet asked, his ire beginning to rise.

Adama knew few words, and the name of the language was one of them. He glanced over to Gaeta hoping he could be of some service. "Do you understand what he's saying?"

"Not really, sir." Gaeta shook his head.

'Why on Earth is she here,' Soblet mumbled when he finally caught sight of Glennan.

'Captain,' she started, hoping to make sure that the Colonials might forget what she just heard, 'They can't understand you. They don't speak English.' She glanced quickly to Gaeta, hoping against hope he didn't hear it. 'And Captain O'Neill has requested you not use that term until she deems it appropriate.'

'I can do what I want to make sure the job gets done,' he answered, then turned his back on her. 'No English, hm very interesting.'

Angela glanced to Gaeta again and saw his curious look. There was something else there, although she wasn't fully sure what it entailed. 'And not any of the other semi-dominant languages on Terra.'

Soblet whirled around and approached her quickly. 'They know you.'

'Because I have made it a point to lean their language, sir.' Thinking that she had said enough, she glared at him and didn't say anything more.

'Then you will tell them who I am, and that I am going to be taking the duty of liaison to this fleet,' he answered arrogantly. 'I would like to be escorted to my cabin so that I can get started on my work.'

Angela turned her attention back to Adama. He had a look of expectation on his face. "He liaison," she said slowly. "Me say your name?" she asked.

Eventually Adama nodded, he did not like having to rely completely on Glennan, though she had proven trustworthy so far.

'Sir, the commanding officer is Admiral Adama. Beside him is the Colonial President, Laura Roslin.'

Soblet brushed it off, but at least remembered Adama's name. 'Yes. . .as I said, I will be ready to meet with them after I get to my cabin and can unpack the things I need to get started.'

_You said that earlier_, Angela thought barely managing to hold her tongue by sheer willpower alone. She turned her attention back to Adama, "He asks cabin?"

"One will be prepared for him," Adama answered. He had heard the tone the liaison took with Glennan and how she had bristled underneath his belittling of her. Her outward demeanor, though, showed complete calm and acceptance.

Once the initial meeting was completed, the Colonials gathered around Angela, wanting her to tell them what the new liaison had said and subconsciously supporting her. Soblet took careful note of her interactions with the crew. He could tell she seemed somewhat friendly to the officer she had been standing beside during the whole scene. He could also tell that they trusted her to some extent. He thought he might be able to take advantage of that. That said officer was now talking quietly to Adama. After a few moments the two separated. While Adama escorted the woman they called their president, the younger officer went back over to the group of marines gathered around Glennan. She said something to one of them and that particular one came over to him and extended his hand in such a way to show that he wanted him to follow.

Being led by a marine was not what he wanted, but there was no other choice. 'I'm going to have to tell Franchetti about this,' he muttered. When the marine stopped, the closest door was opened. The cabin he found himself in he considered not acceptable. It was way too small. Turning to tell the marine what he thought, he saw two more coming down the corridor and carrying his things.

* * *

"Glennan, why was the new liaison treating you like that?" Gaeta asked slowly as they moved down the corridor.

Angela stopped and looked as if he lost his mind. "Soblet captain. I lieutenant."

"He still shouldn't have treated you like that." Gaeta shook his head.

Angela opened her mouth to answer, but quickly decided to use the pda. _Haven't you ever had a bad superior? The best you can do is deal with it._

"He's only a captain," he commented.

Her eyes widened in shock at his comment. 'Only a captain? _Only_ a captain? Captains command ships. I am only a lieutenant. It would be disrespectful to say what he could do to himself, which is what I wanted to do. He could have me officially reprimanded for something like that.' To prove her point, she wrote down the different ranks and showed it to him.

Gaeta stood there for a moment, realizing just how different her military culture really was. He still didn't like how she had been treated.

"Why were you almost late?"

"I no late." She took her pda back and slipped it into a pocket.

"Yes, you were."

'I was not late. Plus, there is _no_ way for me to keep track of time here without a watch. And mine doesn't work right over here. I only got there in time because of one of the marines.' She folded her arms. 'How am I supposed to keep track of time. You don't even have the traditional bells that at least let me know how much time has passed.'

He opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by another finger poke to his chest, 'And I do not want to have to completely rely on people to lead me around by the nose, and to remind me of my appointments! I do not like to be beholden to anyone.'

Gaeta pinned her against the wall and lowered his voice, "If you were having that much trouble, you should have told me."

The air seemed to thicken suddenly as Angela's eyes dilated. She managed to whisper an answer, 'I didn't have any trouble before, why should I have any now?'

Fighting the nearly uncontrollable urge to touch her, he pushed away and moved a good distance from her. _This isn't going anywhere except down a path I did not expect,_ Gaeta frustratingly thought. _What am I to do with you?_

'Let me do my job, that's what,' she ground out. 'Leave me alone.' She turned and started moving down the corridor.

_Did I just say that out loud?_ he thought. To salvage the situation, he thought he could raise the other issue that had been bothering him since the meeting. "I guess you're not going to tell me about Earth? I heard what the new liaison said."

Angela stopped suddenly and slowly turned around. Surprise and guilt vied for dominance on her face as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I know enough of your language to understand some of the simplest phrases in pure English and I know I heard 'earth'. Do you want to tell me why?" he asked as he closed the distance between them.

Not wanting to be misunderstood, Angela pulled out the pda again and wrote down, "I need to talk to both Admiral Adama and Captain O'Neill about this."

Gaeta nodded while indicating the direction they needed to go to get to Adama's quarters. Angela was quiet the entire way with her head bowed, once again, seemingly accepting her future.

When they arrived outside of Adama's quarters, they were ushered in almost immediately by the marine guard. "Sir?" Gaeta started, not sure how Adama was going to take this new bit of information. The new liaison seemed almost standoffish to the younger officer. Looking back to the meeting he realized that he was being treated as if he were his subordinate. And with the new information that was revealed, the thin layer of trust that Glennan had managed to build could be wiped out completely. "There was something else when the liaison arrived. It was something he said. I don't know if you heard it or not." He glanced back to Angela for a moment before turning his attention back to his own commanding officer. Adama was seated at his desk and Roslin was sitting in one of the chairs. The two leaders seemed as if they had been in an intense discussion before they arrived.

"Which is?"

"This was what I wanted to talk to you about, but was sidetracked. I'm sorry about that sir."

"What did he say?"

"Earth."

Laura gasped in shock as Adama's eyes narrowed. "Was there anything else you understood?"

Gaeta shook his head. "Not much, sir."

"Lieutenant Glennan, can you explain yourself?"

She seemed to pause and consider her words carefully. Pulling the pda out once again, she said, "Admiral, I would like to ask my superior about this before I proceed any further."

Getting up, Adama let her use the transceiver.

'_Ddoraig Goch_, how do you read?' Angela started.

_'Loud and clear,'_ Harris answered.

'Harris, I need to talk to the Captain.'

_'Sure thing, Glennan. Hold one.'_

_'Lieutenant?'_ Mair's voice came across the speakers.

'Ma'am, there's a problem,' Angela started slowly. 'Captain Soblet mentioned Earth, and one of the Colonial officers heard it. I'm not sure what I should do.'

_'I will take care of it, Lieutenant. Is their Admiral there?'_

'Yes, and their president.'

_"Admiral Adama?"_

"Could you explain yourself, and why we weren't told sooner?" Adama asked, somewhat angry that this information had been withheld from them.

_"Yes, Admiral. Terra is Earth. Think of my reasoning this way. If our positions were reversed and we were looking for you but had the Martoks chasing after us, what would you have done? Terra has enough problems with herself, and now you've introduced a new power into this region. I specifically ordered Lieutenant Glennan to not reveal to you about Earth. She was following my orders."_

Adama lowered his voice, "What about this new liaison. He was extremely arrogant and disrespectful. I have a mind to have him permanently removed from the _Galactica_."

_"I'm sorry about that, Admiral. I had no say over that. When I arrived I reviewed the orders about it and it states that he must be used."_ Mair then turned her attention back to Angela, _'Lieutenant, I want you to speak candidly about this. Did you ever consider telling the Colonials about Earth?'_

'Ma'am, I was starting to. From what I've seen, they really aren't that much of a threat. I think the cylon threat is much different.'

_'Same here. And your views on Soblet?'_

'Thinks he's all important. I don't think he realizes that the Colonials are their own civilization.'

_'Thank you.'_ Mair switched back over to the Colonial language and continued, _"Admiral, I warn you. Soblet doesn't realize that you are completely independent of Terra. He might try and control your actions, and possibly take technology that you do not want to give."_

"Thank you for the information, Captain. I will keep that in mind when I speak to him shortly."

When finally dismissed, Angela went back to her cabin, only to find one of the marines standing there with a smile on his face. "Class?" he asked.

Nodding, she held up a finger then slipped inside to change. A couple of moments later she came back out dressed in workout clothes and carrying her old style back pack. She had spent a few moments removing the extra pda and its components. Angela was ready to work out, it had been a stressful last couple of hours.

* * *

It was little more than an hour later when she returned from the gym. The two marines that had arrested the radical pro-cylon were with her to discuss what they did, and how they could improve their techniques. Turning the last corner she was confronted by Soblet. He was standing outside her quarters, and the door was open. 'Lieutenant, you are to pack up your things and move. You can leave the transceiver. I want this cabin vacated by the time I finish meeting with the _Colonials_,' he practically spat out the last word.

Her face drained of color when she realized what he was demanding. He didn't even give her the courtesy to tell her where she would be bunking.

He let a triumphant smirk cross his face as he turned and went towards Adama's cabin.

Turning around, Angela ran a hand through her hair, just trying to figure out what she was going to do. The two marines with her were talking quietly. For the moment she paid no attention to them until one left. She focused her attention on the remaining one, not sure if he was going to leave her also. Taking purposeful strides, he went inside the cabin and started organizing her things. Stopping for a moment he turned and looked at her, "You'll stay with us. Madsen is getting a few others to help you move." He didn't know much English, but he could tell what happened.

Angela nodded then quickly changed into a set of cammies and began taking everything out of the locker. They were just about ready when the marines arrived bringing a cart with them. Everything was stacked on it then they left, heading towards the marines barracks. Using the self-guide map, Madsen showed her where the marines were bunked, then left to help get her stuff stowed away. Looking around the now empty cabin Angela felt herself close to tears. _It was not supposed to happen this way,_ she thought.

Not really caring if Soblet found her or not, she sat on the rack and put her face in her hands.

"Angela, are you all right?" Gaeta asked quietly from just inside the door. He had seen the marines moving her things.

'Does it look it?' she practically snarled as she swept a hand around to show the now empty cabin. She heard him take another step towards her and then pulled her hands away from her face. "Who did this? The new liaison?"

Angela nodded, not even wanting to look at Felix. 'He didn't even give me any warning, or even give me the courtesy of telling me where I will be bunking.'

Gaeta's face hardened at the treatment. "Where are you staying?"

'With the marines. They said that I already had a place with them.'

"Good," he answered relieved. "And don't worry, I'll make sure and fix the problem. It could be as late as tomorrow, all right?"

Angela nodded somewhat detached.

Disregarding caution, he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand for a moment before standing back up and backing away. Once back in the corridor there were two marines standing there. "Thank you."

One nodded while Madsen spoke, "Sir, they're waiting for you in the Admiral's quarters."

Gaeta nodded, then turned and went to join the meeting. The moment he saw Soblet, his anger flared up, but he kept his face calm. Adama gave him a knowing glance. When they found out that Soblet could understand them and speak their language both Adama and Roslin realized they had to tread very carefully. Though easy to communicate, the rest of the meeting was fairly tense. To be cordial, though, he was told that there was to be a reception on _Cloud Nine_, and he was officially invited.

When he left, Gaeta remained. They never did see his triumphant smile when he found the cabin vacated.

"What is bothering you, Felix?" Adama asked, using his first name for a change.

"It's Soblet, sir. He ordered Lieutenant Glennan out of the cabin we gave her. Didn't even tell her where she was to bunk." Though he tried to not let it show, some anger came out in his voice.

Adama narrowed his eyes. "Does she have a place to stay tonight?"

"Yes, sir. She's with the marines. They took it upon themselves to move her down with them without any question. With what she does, she needs an office, and I don't know where to put her." He looked down and massaged his forehead with a few fingers.

"She might have to stay with them tonight. We should have something for her by tomorrow at the very latest," Laura gently.

Gaeta nodded, "Thank you, ma'am." As he left Laura said loud enough for the marines outside to hear, "Major, I'd like it if you could arrive an hour before the reception."

Gaeta nodded while answering, "I will, ma'am."

* * *

Angela opened the second seabag she had brought over, looking for some of her underclothes. Soblet had found her soon enough and told her in no uncertain terms that she was not to attend the reception. She didn't know about any reception, but she knew with the way he had been acting, it was to be expected. Pulling out her dress, she placed that on her rack as she continued to dig.

"Ooh, what do we have here?" Twinam said as she picked it up and shook it out.

'Put it down, please.' When there was no answer Angela looked up. The marine had a confused look on her face. "Put back," she repeated as she pointed to the rack.

The female marine shook her head as she smiled. "No." Turning around Twinam addressed some of the other female marines, "Get them out of here."

Once everyone understood, the men readily left with big grins on their faces. "Now, you are going to the reception whether you like it or not."

"I not go." Angela shook her head helplessly.

"Yes, you will." Putting the dress back down, they made her get out of her military issued clothing. "Can't have Major Gaeta disappointed," one commented with a wink.

A third marine Angela didn't know yet came up to Twinam and whispered something. "Right, I understand. Don't worry, we'll get her there in time."

Realizing she would not win, Glennan gave up and put the dress on. The third marine then came up and started putting the make-up on their unofficial leader. Once finished they backed away from their creation. The emerald green dress brought out the green in her eyes, while showing off her cream complexion at the same time. "She cleans up nice," a male voice came from the outside.

"You guys can come in now," Twinam yelled.

The rest of the marines filed in and gave her appreciative looks. For once Angela was glad they didn't wolf-whistle, though if they'd known how, she was sure they would have.

"Now we just have to get her to the Old Man's cabin before the XO arrives. The marines that weren't on duty made sure that they weren't bothered as the female marines hustled her to her rendezvous.

TBC...


	33. Chapter 33

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 33  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-three_**

Laura stood with folded arms and looked at the door after Gaeta had left. "Is there any way we can have Lieutenant Glennan back as liaison?"

"There's nothing more I would like better, but Soblet does know what he's doing," Bill answered as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Laura leaned into him as she commented, "I don't like him at all. When he's around it's like dealing with the Quorum members. He feels slimy."

"Then you should know how to deal with him," he murmured.

Laura turned her head to the side while saying dryly, "Thank you for your vote of confidence."

"I'm serious. After dealing with the Quorum, you should know how to deal with Soblet and not give anything away."

Laura pulled away from him and went back over to the couch. "I don't know." She continued after she sat down, "And now we've got Earth to deal with. I'm not sure just how much the press knows about it. I never though we'd find Earth this way."

"That they're cautious? I hope they stay that way." Bill moved over to his desk and turned on the wireless. He rarely listened since the media got it wrong the majority of the time.

_Repeat, this is an important announcement. Brother Cavil has fallen gravely ill and is in the _Galactica_'s Life Station. The lower level priests and priestesses ask for prayers for his swift recovery._

Bill glanced sharply over to Laura before looking at the wireless once again.

_- -lapsed while in their prayer vigil during the fight earlier in the day for reasons unknown. Minor casualties were reported on both the _Pegasus _and the _Galactica _when they were struck by missiles. The wounded are also being cared for and should make a full recovery. Now on to more pleasant news. The latest ships to arrive are the ones that have been with us for the past week. The Terran senior commander is Captain Mair O'Neill, whom you already know about. The liaison, Lieutenant Angela Glennan is still on board the _Galactica _and is also working with the marines and teaching them proper policing procedures to help them deal with the public. The peaceful arrest of one of the more radical members of the pro-cylon group was a surprise to many people on _Cloud Nine_. So much so, that many on _Cloud Nine _are stating that if they were to have a police force of marines, they would prefer them to be from the _Galactica _and the ones that Lieutenant Glennan is working with._

_An anonymous contact from within the executive branch has commented that _Colonial One _will soon be habitable once again. She is now docked within the starboard flight pod on the _Galactica _near the remnants of the museum, and being hooked up to the electrical and environmental systems of the battlestar. President Roslin should be able to take up residence there once again. Since last week she has been working out of the VIP quarters in the _Galactica. _There is no word on when _Colonial One _will be truly flight worthy again._

Laura grinned at the last comments as Bill turned the wireless off, "If only they knew. . ."

"They will soon enough if we keep doing this." Bill approached her and handed her a glass of water.

"Thank you," she commented as she accepted it. "And you are right. At least the press has been somewhat quiet about it." She waited until he sat down beside her before taking a sip of the clear liquid. "I'll have Billy formally release information about the reception." Laura smiled as Bill handed her the receiver. "We have five hours to let _Cloud Nine_ get ready. You know, they're not going to be happy."

"I should think not." She had the call put through to the VIP quarters. "Billy, I know _Cloud Nine_ isn't going to be happy about this, but they will be hosting a reception in five hours for the Terrans. . .how about the best from each Colony. . .yes, it can be released to the fleet. . .I do hope you can make it. . .thank you, Billy." Laura handed the comm. unit back to Bill then settled deeper into the couch. "You know, I could have mentioned Earth."

"You could have." Bill fiddled with his now empty glass, then put it down on the coffee table.

"But I thought you'd do a better job, especially since you were the one that put us on this journey eight months ago."

Bill grunted, "And thank the gods that the press doesn't know."

"Yet. You know once it's announced, that's all they're going to be talking about."

"And clamoring for interviews."

Laura nodded while looking absently towards the rack they now shared. "I wouldn't be surprised if Soblet has figured out what's going on."

"Going on about what?"

Laura looked to Bill and shook her head, "About us."

Bill smiled as he leaned towards her and started rubbing her back. "We don't have to announce it verbally, but if you want, we can make our relationship semiofficial at the reception."

"How do you propose we do that?"

Bill shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Everyone will know once the reception is over with." Some time later he got up and straightened his uniform shirt.

"Where are you going?" Laura asked drowsily.

"I've been thinking about what I could do with our knowledge about Earth."

"Why don't you just announce it over the fleet wide channel?" Laura asked as she stretched.

Bill came over and leaned down to give her a kiss. "That was my decision."

"Be ready for riots."

"As long as the people happy and relieved with the knowledge that we're not alone anymore." Backing away, he picked up his glasses from the coffee table and put them on. With one last look to see if he were presentable, he left the cabin and headed towards CIC.

"Admiral on Deck!" someone called out.

Adama never thought to see who it was. It didn't matter much, especially with the information he held. "As you were." Gaeta was at the center table doing something. Coming up beside him, Adama hesitated then spoke softly. "I'm about to announce it."

"Yes, sir." The younger officer kept his face calm while moving around to the other side of the table.

As Adama picked up the hand set, he turned to the comm. officer, "Get me the fleet wide channel."

"Yes, sir," he answered. Dee's shift was already over with. He took a deep breath and began, "This is the Admiral. Most of you were here at the start of our journey. It has been long and it has been hard. I am here today to tell you that our search is over. We have found Earth."

There was stunned silence in CIC as Adama put the handset back in place. Suddenly there was a wild whooping yell and the rest of the crew joined in the celebration. Adama smiled at Gaeta as he put a hand on the younger officer's shoulder then left the CIC. As he entered into the corridor he took his time heading back to his quarters. He couldn't have gone any faster even if he had tried. Everyone that frequented the corridors he used stopped him and personally thanked him or smiled. The rest that did not stop, because their duty demanded of it, he could easily see their morale had jumped substantially. It was easy for him to bask in the glow of "their leader who did it", but knew he had to be careful and not let it get to him.

As he turned the last corner, he found Soblet standing in the middle with his arms folded. The Terran had a cross look on his face. "Why wasn't I told beforehand about this announcement?"

The good feeling he had had minutes earlier dissolved quickly at the Terran's insolence. He lowered his voice to a dangerous level, "What makes you think I answer to you, _Captain_? These are my men and women and I am charged with protecting this fleet. Last I checked, you were not my commanding officer." Without waiting for any answer, Adama brushed past the liaison and moved deeper into hall. The crew members coming from the opposite end let their smiles drop when they saw him. He hated ruining their elation, but Soblet had done the same to him.

He sighed when he closed the door to his cabin then looked down.

"Are you all right, Bill?" Laura asked from across the room.

"No, I'm not. If Soblet keeps up what he's doing, I will have him removed." He turned and sighed as he undid the top button of his uniform shirt. He remained quiet until he sat down beside her once again. "He seems to think that he has to sign off on everything I do."

"He's upset because you announced the news to the fleet before he did."

Adama nodded as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Lieutenant Thrace came by."

Bill looked up suddenly, "Really?"

"Yes," Laura nodded. "She asked which officers were invited to the reception."

"She's one of them, since she's CAG."

"I thought so," she muttered. Laura definitely didn't want to tell him the real reason she had stopped by. Of course everyone was celebrating from the good news, and Kara easily made it look like she had come to congratulate Adama.

A little more than an hour before the reception, the door opened up once again and this time several off-duty marines pushed the former liaison into Adama's quarters. Roslin's eyes widened in surprise at the dress, fully expecting to see the young lieutenant in her formal uniform. Glennan was uncharacteristically blushing at all the attention she was receiving. She also seemed somewhat uncomfortable. "Thank you," Laura addressed the smiling marines then dismissed them. The dress was like nothing she had ever seen before. She was fully covered, but the simple style only seemed to heighten her femininity.

"Why are you blushing? You look fine." Laura looked at her for a moment, not knowing what to think.

Angela walked over towards the table and sat down in one of the chairs. The mid-thigh length slits easily showed off her highly toned legs. "There's nothing to worry about," Laura commented. "You're not going in any official capacity."

The Terran shook her head slowly.

A minute later Bill came out of the head while fixing the sash on his dress grays. He stopped. His look of surprise quickly turned to appreciation. He knew there was a woman underneath the uniform she wore, he never realized just how good she'd look in feminine clothing.

When Laura noticed his arrival, she got up and went over to him. "Does he know she's coming?" he asked quietly

"No," Laura answered just as low with a smile. "Not that I know of. And the dress was a pleasant surprise. I thought she'd be wearing her formal uniform."

"I don't want to know what happened," Bill shook his head while cupping her face.

Laura smiled and went back over to the table. "I don't know if you realize this or not, but you did catch Admiral Adama's attention," she whispered conspiratorially.

Angela's eyes went wide with surprise as she reached down to hide her legs behind the satin material.

Adama was taking a call from CIC when Gaeta finally arrived. Bill looked up and found his XO openly staring at the Terran as she stood up. For a moment his eyes danced with amusement until the younger officer turned almost pleading eyes towards him. He moved across the room and said quietly as he passed Gaeta, "This is something I will not get involved with. You're on your own with this."

"But. . ." Gaeta turned to look at him.

"Relax, Major. She can't go in any official capacity, Captain Soblet forbade it. But she can come like this." Adama hesitated before continuing, "And it won't hurt if you enjoyed yourself."

For a moment Gaeta looked like he was lost, not exactly sure what he should do. He turned to Adama for a moment for at least some help.

Shaking his head, Adama went back over to the younger officer and said in a low voice, "You're supposed to escort her to the hanger deck."

Gaeta's brain seemed to snap back, and he nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. Sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

_You weren't thinking at all_, Adama thought wryly, but he only nodded then backed away, giving Gaeta some room.

The young officer went over and hesitatingly offered his arm, which Angela took. Once they were gone, Laura commented, "I think he likes her. He's hard to read sometimes."

"You're right," Bill answered with a smile as he offered his own arm. "He doesn't want to admit it to himself yet."

Before Laura could comment, the door opened back up and the liaison walked confidently inside. The uniform his was wearing bordered on the ridiculous in her estimation. "Captain Soblet," she started slowly. "That is an awfully ornate uniform, and much fancier than the one that Lieutenant Glennan wore before the Quorum. We are only attending a reception." She glanced at Adama for a moment, wanting to know his reactions. She had seen the officers ceremonial uniform, and it was nothing like this.

"This is a momentous occasion," the Terran answered with a smug look on his face. When he took a close look at the dress uniform Adama was wearing, he gave him disdainful look. Laura could feel Bill's muscles tighten up at the obvious put down. Before he could respond, Laura pulled him out of his quarters while saying through her teeth, "I know you don't like him at all."

"He needs to be gone," Adama growled.

Laura glanced behind her and found Soblet following them with a scowl on his face. _Good for him_, she thought. Behind the liaison were her two marine guards. "Same here," she answered as she turned back around. "I would like nothing better than to force him off, but it might create a diplomatic incident."

"Frak that."

They made it the rest of the way to the hanger without any incident. There, they found both Terrans and Colonials already gathered. A few of the Terrans were talking with Glennan and smiling at her. Gaeta seemed much more at ease with himself standing with them.

"Admiral on deck!" Tyrol yelled when he caught sight of the approaching group.

"As you were," Adama answered. He had calmed down somewhat, but not all the way. He recognized Captain O'Neill, but not the other officers that came with her. They were all wearing what looked like formal uniforms, but not the same as what Soblet had on. They looked very different from what he was used to seeing. The black with the white and gold accents made them look very sharp.

When the liaison saw Lieutenant Glennan, and in a dress, he growled, "What is she doing here?"

"Lieutenant Glennan is not going in any official capacity. She is attending it as a civilian," Laura said nicely.

Realizing he couldn't stop Glennan from attending, Soblet plastered a fake smile on his face and went over to her. Oozing with charm he took her hand and bowed, 'You look lovely today.'

Angela looked at him in shock. She slowly removed her hand, not knowing what to think, or his motives. She glanced to Gaeta for a moment. When Soblet went so far as to offer her his arm, she shook her head and backed away towards Gaeta. When he took a step towards her, Gaeta stopped him. "She already has an escort," he answered with a pleasant voice, but his eyes had hardened.

'Looks like someone's beaten you, Captain," O'Neill said from behind Soblet.

The liaison turned around and gave her a disdainful look.

'And Captain,' Mair continued in a pleasant tone of voice, 'If you go over my head, I will send you back to the Admiralty.'

Soblet's eyes hardened, but he answered with the same pleasant tone, 'But of course, ma'am.'

"Captain O'Neill," Adama approached the senior Terran.

"Admiral, it is good to see you again. Who are we waiting for?" she asked as she nodded to Roslin.

"Commander Tigh. He should be here with the _Pegasus_'s shuttle at any time."

"I would like to introduce to you some of the officers that came with me." As Mair introduced each of them, each came forward and shook his head. When Donelson was introduced as the one that had taken care of the basestar, Adama's eyes widened slightly, and a smile crossed his face. He was about to answer when a klaxon blared through the hanger. Turning their attention to the source of the noise, they all saw a new ship was being lowered into the hanger.

"He's here," Adama commented. As Mair translated for the group the rest watched as the hatch finally opened up and first Tigh and then Lee came out. They were wearing their dress grays as well. Some of the lower ranked officers that were coming wore the regular blue uniforms, but with the sash attached.

"Admiral," Tigh said as he came up to Bill. After a quick salute, he continued, "We've got the room if this is all," he commented as he looked around.

"That will work." Bill then turned his attention on Lee. It was good to see him again, and he smiled to show the younger Adama that.

Once Adama started moving towards the shuttle, the rest of the group gravitated in its direction. He noticed that the Terran's protocol for entering a shuttle was the same as theirs, lowest officers first and then in ascending rank order. When the last were settled down, the ship was sealed and they were brought back up to the flight pod and exited the ship. The forty minute trip to the luxury liner was rather quiet.

Once they reached the outside environment inside _Cloud Nine_, Angela stared once again in awe at the technology it had taken to create it. Instead if being early afternoon, it was now late in the day, and moving quickly towards dusk. Everything was mimicked to the perfect degree. Walking over to the perfectly manicured lawn, she slipped off one shoe and let her foot feel the real grass. After a moment she put it back on and she followed Gaeta to where the reception was to be held. Soblet was still in the outside environment craning his neck and looking everywhere to see if he could find one hint of the technology it took to master bioengineering to the degree found on _Cloud Nine_.

'I have got to find out about this,' he mumbled. 'They couldn't have created this, they're too primitive.' He eventually heard his name being called. Soblet turned slowly around and moved off towards where the reception was to be. He knew he had to get this information back to his patrons in the EU. The room he entered had flags placed in various places around the room, and on one side was a table with a nice spread of food.

The group from the _Galactica_ had been met by some civilians that lived and worked on the luxury liner. Seeing several that wore distinct sashes, he put another smile on his face and began to circulate through the crowd towards them.

Mair picked up a glass of what she assumed was water, then moved slowly towards Adama. With what she had seen on the _Galactica_ and now this ship, she knew she had been wrong to think they were technologically inferior to them, and she felt she needed to give him an apology. She found him talking to one of the younger officers that came from the _Pegasus_. "Admiral," she said as she approached them. "I feel," she started once they turned their attention to her, "I owe you an apology."

"For what, Captain?" Bill asked, unsure of what she was talking about.

"For the way we inadvertently treated you and your people. You see, we have a saying: Never judge a book by its cover. And I feel I have done that."

"I don't understand?"

Adama held up his hand to silence the one with him then said, "Then I would think we need to apologize once again. We have never dealt with a civilization that speaks another language. And for the way we first treated Lieutenant Glennan."

"That is water under the bridge, Admiral. Don't worry about it." Mair gave him a gracious smile. She then turned her attention to Glennan, who was some distance away. After what Soblet had done in the hanger, the lieutenant had stuck by the officer who was escorting her. There were other Colonial officers around the two of them, and they were all talking animatedly, albeit slower and much clearer than normal.

"Captain O'Neill?" a breathless voice came from behind.

"Yes?"

"I'm Playa Palacios from the Colonial Gang. I was hoping to get your permission to interview Lieutenant Glennan?"

"Here?" Mair's eyes widened slightly. This was a definite surprise. They had no idea that there was a professional liaison with them now.

"Oh, no. Definitely not! It will be at a time of her choosing. I just wanted to get permission from you as her commanding officer."

Mair turned to look at Adama for a moment, giving him a wordless question.

"I would think it should be all right," he answered gruffly.

"I should think something can be worked out." Mair smiled and ended the interruption. Turning her attention back to Adama, she continued, "I'm sorry about that."

"Reporters," Adama answered gruffly, then went on to introduce Lee, who was the one he had been talking to earlier.

Laura came up to Zarek some time after Soblet had been in the vicinity. The somewhat verbally combative councilor was shaking his head. The new liaison had not made a good first impression on the former political outcast. She handed him a glass of ambrosia she had picked up for him. "Councilor, a peace offering."

Zarek's scowl moderated somewhat when he accepted the glass. "Thank you, Madam President." He took a considerable sip then commented, "Where did the Terrans find him?"

"I've been asking myself that question since he came on board the _Galactica_," Laura commented. "Admiral Adama is close to having him removed." She paused before continuing, "I do know Captain O'Neill is not pleased with him. I think if she could, she would put Lieutenant Glennan back as liaison and send him back from whence he came."

"Have you noticed how the press is avoiding him?"

"It's more like everyone is avoiding him," Laura gave him a smile as she sipped her drink.

"Which reminds me - - is there any new information you can pass along about Dr. Baltar?"

Laura sighed while closing her eyes. "The, um, Admiral, from what I've seen and heard, hasn't decided on which way the trial is to go."

Zarek's eyes lighted with amusement. "Laura," he emphasized her first name, "We know what's going on. It's pretty obvious."

"He said everyone would know," Laura smiled as she looked off to the side. "When _Colonial One_ is running once again I will transfer the government back there. I've been working out of the VIP Quarters for the past week. Zarek. . ."

"Don't go there," he cut her off. "I've been over it for some time."

"It's not that. It's just that I never thought to realize what Sagatarrion's last governor was like."

"Or how bad it got if you opposed his laws or tactics," Zarek's voice hardened.

Laura shook her head, "I know that now." She hesitated before continuing, "Listen, I know what happened with the election, and now this." Laura moved her hand around to emphasize the Baltar issues. She quickly held up a hand when he opened his mouth to protest. "Hear me out, Tom. We'll have a government crisis once Baltar is removed. I think. . .I think you might be the best to take his position. I only want you to think about it right now, all right?"

Zarek's eyes widened in surprise at what he was being offered. Of all the ways he thought the conversation would head, this was not one of them. "All right, I'll think about it. I'll give you an answer before the trial starts."

"That's all I ask, Tom. And thanks."

Eventually they drifted to different areas of the room. Because of Zarek's reactions to Soblet, Laura wandered over towards the liaison. She found him over at the spread, by himself once again, shaking his head in disgust.

"What is wrong, Captain?" Laura asked as she came up beside him. Laura noticed that he had yet to at least try any of the food that was offered. "Is something wrong with the food?"

"I would prefer there be French cuisine available."

"Well," Laura started after a moment's thought. "You are now with the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and not the 'french'. And you also seem to forget that a week ago, we were literally starving. Captain O'Neill's request for a supply ship has been a gift from the gods. You need to be grateful for what you have."

Soblet looked at the food once again and slowly picked up a plate. Once Laura moved away, he put it back down and continued to grumble. Nothing was going according to his plans. He glanced towards Glennan and found she was being given another glass of whatever it was they were drinking along side the officer she had attached herself to on the _Galactica_.

It was some time later when Kara handed Angela another drink. This one, she insisted, didn't have alcohol. Angela wasn't so sure about that anymore. She caught sight of Soblet again and commented in that odd mixture of the two languages she had recently started using, 'He looks like he's preening his feathers like a strutting peacock.' She smirked at the image in her mind and let out a short giggle.

"What is a peacock?" Helo asked, he had come over with the Terrans for the reception and was curious about the reference.

'A. . .a. . .' she struggled to find the right word, but it wasn't coming. Finally she looked to see if he wasn't watching then pointed at his back. 'Him.' When she turned back around she almost lost her balance, then gave a slight smirk while giggling again. Almost loosing her balance once again, she leaned up against Gaeta to brace herself. Her voice wasn't slurring, but she knew at this point she had been compromised with alcohol. Turning to look at Gaeta, she found his eyes were slightly glazed over and also grinning. He was holding her in place and when she finally moved away his hands went with her. For a moment Angela was confused as to it, then she on purpose leaned against him. His hands tightened, which made her giggle again. Looking over at the green alcoholic drink Helo had, she snatched it and knocked it back. The strong dose of alcohol made her sway for a moment, then grin once again. 'Not. . .bad. . .'

"You're drunk," Helo said after he retrieved another glass of ambrosia.

'. . .no. . .' Angela glanced over to Gaeta who was shaking his head slowly.

"Come on, you two," Kara commented with a grin as she took the drink out of Gaeta's hand. Without much prompting, she was able to get Gaeta to start moving towards the hanger. Angela, surprisingly enough, easily followed him with a slightly unbalanced walk.

They reached the hanger deck relatively unscathed and not bothered. Finding an empty raptor, Kara climbed into it and looked around. "This will do nicely." Turning, she watched in horrified amusement as they openly started groping. "Not now," she hissed at them when she got back down on the deck. Her words seemed to clear their alcohol induced desire enough for her to try and get them into the raptor. Starbuck knew it would be a challenge to get them up the ramp. After a few tries, they finally crawled into the raptor and ended on the deck in a tangled heap of arms and legs. Angela giggled again as Kara sealed the door to the raptor then stepped over them. "Could you two please behave yourselves on the trip back?" she asked as she turned around.

They seemed to stop for a moment and look at her. "I don't like being a voyeur," she finished quietly as she prepared the small ship for flight. Once she was on route to the _Galactica_, Starbuck realized it had quieted down. Turning back she saw that they seemed to instinctively realize that they didn't want to be watched, and had backed off somewhat to only caresses. "Much better," she commented as she went back to piloting.

Getting them out was much easier once they arrived in the _Galactica_'s hanger. Like while in the raptor, they seemed to hold off on any overt groping, which relieved Kara to no end. Angela was standing there leaning against the raptor as if it were holding her up once she was on the deck. Once Gaeta was down, Kara pushed him in the direction of his cabin. "Let's go," she commented. Turning, she found Glennan following them without any questions. She was weaving somewhat, but kept up with them. Her look, though, was something Kara was not expecting. For a moment the pilot could have sworn that Angela was glaring at the two of them. Glancing back again, Glennan's expression had disappeared and the former liaison was only following them now.

Once they reached Gaeta's cabin, Kara turned to look at the two as she pulled the door open. "You know, Gaeta," she started while backing away from the door. "It is tradition that you kiss your date goodnight."

The two froze for a moment giving Kara her opening. She went behind Angela and pushed her into Gaeta. He tripped over the lip of the door and they tumbled to the floor inside the cabin. Once clear, she slammed the hatch shut and leaned up against it with a grin. After waiting for about five minutes, and no sounds of trying to get out, she turned around and quietly opened the door. Starbuck opened the door for a moment to make sure they were all right, then closed it. Her serious expression dissolved into a huge smirk as she quickly went back to the hanger. Going back to the raptor she went back to _Cloud Nine_ and the reception that was now winding down.

The first thing she did was to find Roslin. She was talking with some of the Terrans with a drink in hand. Catching her attention, she gave her a wink and nod then moved in the general direction of the table. Picking up a glass of punch, Kara then moved over to Lee. "Did Helo go back to the bucket?" she asked, realizing that she hadn't seen him since she came back.

"Yeah," Lee commented as he looked around. "I saw you getting Gaeta out, he did look somewhat drunk. Was that your doing?" he asked critically.

"Who me?" Kara asked innocently.

"Kara, I know you too well."

"Look, all I did was get them back to their cabins on the _Galactica_. That's _all_," she emphasized the last word.

When they finally disappeared, the last of the Colonials, and all of the Terrans headed back to the _Galactica_. From there they either continued to the Terran ships or in the case of Adama and Roslin, they went back to his cabin, leaving Soblet on his own. With a huff, he went back to his new cabin that was around the corner from Adama's. Billy and Dee, who eventually did show up had already disappeared for the evening.

TBC...


	34. Chapter 34

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 34  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

_**Chapter Thirty-four**_

'So, they're not as primitive as they make themselves out to be,' Soblet commented as he straightened his jacket. 'It's all just a show so people won't be that interested in what they have to offer.' Only after he made sure nothing was out of place did he leave his new cabin. It was much better than that hellhole they had given him when he first came on board, and had everything he needed.

Going around the corner, he stopped when he reached the two marines and read the stenciling on the door. 'Commanding officer,' he commented. He glanced at his watch and noted the time, _not too early_. Taking a closer step, he quickly found himself blocked by the two guards. "Soldier, I was only going to knock," he said calmly.

"Sir, the Admiral is only to be disturbed if it is extremely important," the first marine said.

Soblet's eyes hardened. "Well. . .it is critical that I see him right away."

The second marine looked at him as if he were stupid or else had a death wish, but acquiesced to the liaison's demands. Pointing his weapon towards the deck, he spun the locking mechanism, then opened the door and slipped quietly into the darkened cabin. A minute later he returned, but still kept Soblet from entering.

The liaison waited impatiently for another minute or so until the door opened part-way.

"What is it?" Adama growled. He had everything on but his uniform shirt.

Soblet smiled, "Good morning. I need to meet with you on the status of - -"

Adama's eyes narrowed as he interrupted, "You woke me for something as trivial as this? Have you no idea what time it is?" He paused before continuing, "I will not meet with you until _after_ breakfast." Adama then backed up and shut the door, effectively sealing the liaison out.

'He's touchy,' Soblet commented offhandedly as he turned around. Being shut out like that wasn't too bad, he thought. It gave him time to go looking around.

* * *

Angela slowly rose up from the depths of her sleep surrounded by warmth. Shifting, she suddenly felt like she was being held down and suffocated. Instinctively she pushed it away from her, giving her room to breath once again. There was an odd muffled thump, then a groan as she turned over, but she ignored it. A couple of minutes later, she blindly reached for her tartan blanket she habitually kept folded at the foot of her rack. The room had gotten oddly cold all of a sudden. After a few minutes of blind searching and not finding it, she sat up and looked to the foot only to realize it wasn't there. Looking at the rack more closely she wondered why it didn't quite look right. She scanned the room quickly and found to her surprise that she was not in her cabin. At that moment, she had no idea where she was. Bringing her eyes down to the deck, they widened in horror as she watched Gaeta sit up and put his head in his hands. What really bothered her was that he had nothing on. Turning her attention back to herself, she realized it was the same with her, and snatched one of the blankets that had been mostly pulled off the rack to cover herself.

The sudden movements seemed to make him more aware of his surroundings. He looked down and then over to the rack. Seeing her out of the corner of his eye watching him in surprise made his own widen. For a desperate moment his hand shot out and grabbed the closest piece of material and covered himself up. _I'm screwed_, he thought to himself. _I'm never going to get out of this alive._ Thinking he could at least do _something_ constructive, he turned his attention to getting his clothes. They were strewn across the cabin along with Glennan's. A flash of a memory of heated skin against skin and the accompanying rush came back for a second before it disappeared. "I am definitely screwed," he muttered as he leaned over to snag another piece of clothing.

Once he had most everything gathered up, he stood up while keeping himself covered. Reaching down, he retrieved her things and put them on the rack then quickly disappeared into his small head to at least pull on a pair of sweat pants he knew he had in there. Gaeta removed the rank pins from his dress uniform and put them on the counter before putting the gray material in the hamper to be cleaned. After waiting a few moments, he slowly opened the door to check to see if she was dressed yet.

She wasn't.

There was just enough room if he moved to the far side of the cabin for her to get into the head without them touching. Once he was out and in the cabin, she scooted in, not quite looking at him, and still not fully covered. She was using her clothing as a shield. As the shower turned on, he brought his attention back to putting away some of his dress uniform. The sashes were easily stored. He would have to have the uniform cleaned. No telling what was on it by this time, plus the creases were gone.

He looked at the door to his locker then hit it with his fist. "Frak!" he hissed. "Why couldn't I control myself?" he muttered as he flexed his hand. Opening up his locker he slowly pulled out a fresh uniform and clipped the rank pins in place. A few minutes after the shower had shut off, Angela reemerged, fully clothed now. He did have to admit that dress looked good on her. Seeing the possibility of where that thought could go, Gaeta forcefully pushed it out of his mind as he went into the head to get cleaned up.

When he came out, he felt like he was going to his execution. He had decided to at least apologize to her for his actions. He found Angela sitting at the table and staring at the rack. She turned her attention to him when he cleared his throat. Her expression showed no emotion. She seemed as if she were in shock. "I, I'm sorry for last night. I rarely get drunk because so many people depend on my accuracy."

'Thrace did it,' she said in full English.

Gaeta's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't understand what she said, but he knew that first word. "I see."

"We later talk," she said as she rose and slipped her feet into her shoes.

He nodded emphatically, thinking that her comments would only postpone the inevitable.

'I will need permission from someone high up,' she requested in the mixed language.

"For what?" Her vague comment bothered him.

Her answer was simple, 'Revenge. She will not get away with what she did.'

"I can do that," he answered as he moved over to the rack. He looked at the bed for a moment, not sure if he wanted to sit down on it or not. "What are you going to do?" he asked pointedly. Even though she was Terran, she had to follow their rules.

'It's best to use swift and blinding vengeance,' she started in the mixed language. When she continued, it was in full English, 'Shock and awe is the best route after all.'(1) She looked at him with a smirk.

"I don't understand," he complained.

'The key to real victory. . .is to make your enemies think they were wrong to oppose you in the first place,'(2) she answered, this time she had a look of smug superiority on her face.

Gaeta looked at her uncomfortably, this was something had not been expecting.

Her expression softened at his obvious confusion. 'You will eventually,' she smiled. 'Don't worry, she will survive, only she will regret what she did to me - - us.'

Gaeta finally moved towards the door, "I need to get you back down to the marine barracks before it gets too late." He opened the door to look out for a moment before turning around, "It's not that busy. If we wait any longer, there will be a lot more people up and round."

"When - - what time?"

Gaeta glanced at the clock, "Before breakfast." Pushing the door further open, he moved out and let her pass, careful not to touch, then closed the door behind them. The trip down to the marine barracks went fairly fast, neither wanted to be really seen this way, but it couldn't be helped. When they reached the door, he nodded then briskly moved off back to the officers area, leaving her to go in and get dressed.

Her headache from earlier started throbbing again. She knew it would not be fun once she set foot in the barracks, especially with some of the marines that purposefully got her ready for the reception.

Angela pulled the door open slowly then slipped off her shoes. The metal deck was cold, but she ignored the sudden shock. The room was semi dark, mostly for the marines that were in their sleep shift. Kneeling down beside her rack, she put her shoes down, then quietly opened the closest seabag, hoping to find at least another set of cammies. If need be, she could wear one of her uniforms.

"So, did you enjoy yourself?" Twinam said as she kneeled down on the other side of the rack.

Angela glared at her, then went back to her search. 'I hope you weren't in. . .on. . .it. . .' she grunted in the mixed language as she pulled out a pair of cammies from the bottom of the seabag.

The marine subconsciously straightened up, worried now for what might happen.

'I will overlook the actions of you and your fellow marines if you help me,' Angela finally said.

Seeing a possible chance at redemption, Twinam readily nodded her head and went to get the others.

* * *

"Bill, what time is it?" Laura mumbled as he slowly sat up.

Glancing towards the clock, he answered, "About an hour before breakfast." He got out of the rack and slipped into the head to get cleaned up. After closing the door on Soblet, in the middle of the night no less, he had disrobed and immediately got back into the rack. He was going to contact O'Neill today and tell her that Soblet needed to leave, now. When he came out, he had his trousers on.

Laura was sitting up in the rack and watching him. "Did something happen during the night?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Soblet," Bill answered, once he pulled his tanks on.

Laura let the covers drop as she sighed, "What did he do this time?"

"Apparently he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'critical'," he answered as he leaned over the rack to give her a quick kiss. Backing away once again, he pulled his shirt on and started buttoning it up while letting Laura get up.

While she was in the head, Bill took the time to order breakfast and then started going through the crew manifest and the cabins that were available for habitation. A good portion of them had been converted over the life of the ship, especially in the last year or so. Many officers and noncoms. had been doubling up because of the lack of space. It was just the thought that Soblet had never taken the time to tell Glennan where she should be bunking that made him cross. That was not something you did to a junior officer. What also bothered him was that there were few, if any, cabins that were available for habitation. Almost all were back in use. He had hoped that there be a few left, but from what he was looking at, and if the stats were right. . .

"What are you looking at?" Laura asked from the door to the head. She moved into the living quarters, now fully dressed.

"I'm looking for any possible free cabins for Lieutenant Glennan. I'm not finding any at the moment."

"I do hope she can remain on board," Laura commented as she sat down.

"And why is that?" Bill leaned back in his chair with a grin on his face.

"Oh, for the marines, of course," she answered with her own amused smile.

"Of course."

Their conversation was cut short with the arrival of breakfast. When that was over, and the table was cleared, Adama sent one of the guards to escort the liaison to his cabin. They could now talk about fleet status. When the guard came back sans Soblet, it made Adama wonder just what was going on. Getting up, he went over to his office and sent a call to Hadrian, and told her to search the ship for Soblet.

"Maybe this isn't his first language, and he didn't fully comprehend what you said?" Laura asked when she thought back to Soblet's earlier actions.

"No, he understood fully," Bill sighed as he picked up a pen. He fiddled with it for a few moments before putting it back down.

"How long are we going to have to wait?" Laura looked back towards the door for a moment. "If it's too much, I think I'll go over and get my work." Just as she stood up, the door opened and one of the guards came in, followed by Hadrian and an angry Soblet behind her.

"Admiral, I will be in my office if you need me," Laura commented, feeling it best if she made a hasty exit. As she passed the marines, they all snapped to attention.

"Thank you, Madam President," he answered.

Once she had left, Hadrian reported while handing over a hand device similar to Glennan's, "Sir. Chief Tyrol found him in the hanger deck. The Chief also confiscated this."

"That is personal property. I demand it be returned immediately," Soblet said arrogantly.

Bill glared at him, then turned his attention back to the device. It looked similar to the one Glennan used, but more streamlined at the same time. Fiddling with some of the buttons, an image came up on the small screen of an open access panel to a viper. His eyes darkened with anger that bordered on fury. "I don't care about diplomacy, you are this close to being permanently removed from my ship." Turning around, he went back to his office and dropped the device onto his desk. He would have a chat with O'Neill about this once Soblet was gone.

When he turned back around, Adama dismissed the marines, then turned his attention back to the liaison. "This is your final warning. If any of my men and women find you doing anything remotely like this, I will personally throw you in the brig until you can be sent back to your own forces."

Soblet glanced down as his cheeks flushed. Adama couldn't tell if it was either embarrassment or anger at being caught. There was something else, but he couldn't quite place it. "I suspect this is not a good time for the meeting?" he asked sounding somewhat subdued.

"No, but there's no other time for it," Adama answered brusquely as he sat down.

"Sir," Soblet started slowly, "I would like to use my pda for gathering the information on the ships in the fleet."

"No." Adama shook his head.

Soblet's eyes narrowed, but continued in the same tone, "How am I supposed to get the information?"

With eyes that never left Soblet's face, Adama reached down and pulled a drawer open. He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, then handed them over.

'You have got to be joking,' Soblet said under his breath, but he accepted the writing utensils without any more comments. Adama had an idea of what Soblet was going to ask, so he gave just enough information to be vague. He was not about to give him any information that could be used against them in the long run.

Once Soblet left, Adama sighed in relief. The whole meeting bothered him. Looking at the device once again, he started fiddling with it once again. He quickly found there were no more pictures. "Good," he commented. When he turned it over, he quickly found there was an empty slot. One that looked like it should have some type of memory card in it. He knew enough about computers to know that it could have been easily pulled out and hidden. With Soblet, he knew he could not take any chances.

Getting up, he quickly left his quarters and went around the corner. Stopping by the VIP quarters he pulled Laura's two guards and then almost stormed into the quarters Glennan had been forced to recently vacate.

'_The next thing you need to do is to. . .'_

'Hold one,' Soblet said as he turned around. "What is the meaning of this?"

Adama held up Soblet's pda. "This. There just happens to be a data card missing. I cannot afford to have anything compromised, whether it be from cylons, or you." Going over to the transceiver, Adama abruptly broke the comm. channel then turned back to the two marines. "Search him and this cabin. I want that chip found and brought back to me. Afterwards, escort him to the brig."

"You have no right!" Soblet ground out.

"Yes, I do, _Captain_," Adama lowered his voice, then turned around and walked out. He would worry about getting Laura more guards until those two were finished. Stepping back into his cabin he let out a long sigh, then went over to the transceiver. Switching it on, he placed the call to the one Terran captain he trusted somewhat. "I need to speak to Captain O'Neill. It is extremely important."

"_Hold one,"_ A heavily accented voice finally answered.

"_Admiral,"_ Mair's voice came over the transceiver.

"Captain, we have a major problem."

"_Which is?"_

"The new liaison was caught in the middle of espionage. He was attempting to steal some of our technology," Adama's voice lowered in anger.

'_Shit,_' she hissed. _"All right, I'll send a shuttle over and you can release him to me. I will make sure that he is taken care of. I'm really sorry for all of what has happened. I had no say in the matter."_

"I know," Adama answered tiredly. He suddenly felt old. "There is one thing I would request from you."

"_Anything to do with the liaison?"_ she asked humorously.

"Nothing of the sort, Captain. I would like to expand Lieutenant Glennan's training of my ship's marines. They have responded positively with her training. It has already paid off with increased performance while in their roles as law enforcement."

"_That is something I will gladly sign off on, Admiral,"_ Mair answered with a smile in her voice.

* * *

"Sir, you might want to look at the DRADIS," Heather commented loudly enough for Gaeta to hear her.

"What is it?" he asked. He had been so busy, he hadn't had any time to see what was going on. _Frak_, he thought to himself when he realized his mistake.

"The Terrans are moving around, I'm not sure what they are doing at the moment," she answered somewhat confused.

He looked up at the DRADIS and could clearly see the ships moving around. It almost seemed like three of them were surrounding another one.

"Sir, scans indicate that one of the ships has a big energy buildup," Heather said worriedly.

"Is it pointed at us?" Gaeta looked at her intently.

Darin shook her head, "I'm not sure at this point, sir."

"Thank you." Gaeta went back to the center board and picked up the handset. "Sir," he said once the line was connected. "I think you need to come to CIC," he finished somewhat vague.

"What is it, XO?" Adama asked after he arrived.

"It's the Terrans," Gaeta indicated one of the DRADIS overhead screens. "Replay that footage," he ordered a crewperson. "We haven't received any calls from O'Neill concerning this," he explained to Adama once it was finished.

"Get me O'Neill," Adama said as he reached for the handset.

"Yes, sir."

"Captain, would you mind explaining to me what just happened?"

"_Franchetti still doesn't realize that you don't use subspace frequencies to communicate. He's furious that you had Soblet arrested, and demanded his release,"_ her voice seemed rather smug. _"Don't worry, he won't try that again."_

"It was his own fault he was arrested. I will _not_ endanger this fleet."

"_I know that, and am perfectly fine with it. Now Franchetti and his cronies? That's another story. I'm sorry to get you involved with our petty squabbles, but apparently Soblet found something that he was _extremely_ interested in."_

Adama looked at Gaeta for a moment. He could feel the burning curiosity in the younger man with what O'Neill had just said.

* * *

Angela looked at the marines assembled for the second class. Some were new, but most had been with her since the first few days after her arrival. She wasn't quite ready to start the coming lesson, which gave her a few moments of freedom. Angela couldn't help but think of what had happened the previous evening. And now, she hadn't even caught sight of Gaeta at all today. It made her wonder if he was avoiding her on purpose.

The sight of the smiling marines now assembled made her shake her head. She knew about rumors, and how quickly they spread through a closed environment. Right now, she had to get her head in the right place since she was giving the soldiers new nonviolent restraint moves.

Once they were just about finished, Kara came walking in. Either she was really brave or she had no idea what was about to befall her.

"So, did you enjoy yourself?" Kara asked with a smug grin as she joined Angela on the mat.

A marine snickered off to the side, but immediately schooled his features when Angela glared at him.

Even with her bandaged hand, Angela was a force to be reckoned with. With a flurry of moves, she had Starbuck in a head lock and slowly lowered her to the mat. Kara's hands went up to her neck to try and pull her arm away, but it was too late. "Careful with move," Angela commented to the gathering marines. When the pilot was fully unconscious, Angela turned her attention back to the gathered marines. "Effective move. No do! Danger if no do right. If do right, no danger no pain." Glennan then had a few come over and take the unconscious Colonial out of the gym.

Once everything was in position, all Angela had to do was to wait for Kara to wake back up. When she finally did, the pilot's eyes widened for a moment. "I can't feel my arms," she said with fear.

Angela pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against. 'Feeling will come back soon enough.'

"Where are my clothes?" Kara asked, eyes narrowing. Looking around, she noticed for the first time she was in some sort of tub.

"Not need," Angela answered as she reached down for a bucket. 'There is an old klingon proverb that goes something like this: Revenge is a dish best served cold.' With that she quickly lifted the bucket up and pored its contents onto Kara.

"Frak!" Kara yelled. Her teeth started chattering quickly at the intense cold.

With a smug look on her face, Angela reached down for the clothing. 'Don't do that again or it will be worse next time.' With that, she threw the clothing over her shoulder and walked out of the room.

With a marine as a guide, Angela made it to the pilots quarters. There she put Kara's clothing on her rack. From there she finally decided to go looking for Gaeta. It had been long enough for both of them to calm down after waking up. She felt, though, that he was purposefully avoiding her. She was finally able to corner him in the corridors close to her former cabin. "We talk."

"Not yet," Gaeta shook his head. "The Admiral wants to see you."

For a second, she tensed up, but eventually nodded. 'Okay.'

Gaeta glanced at her, not sure if he was right in her reactions. He had an idea that she had already performed her revenge on the senior pilot, but no word was coming from the marines.

Once they presented themselves to Adama, he started. "Please have a seat," he said indicated several chairs.

"I talked to Captain O'Neill earlier today about your possible future here." Adama ignored the side glances from the two younger officers, but noted them. "She has agreed to have you work in an expanded role with the marines."

A hint of a smile crossed Angela's face before it disappeared. 'Yes, sir,' she nodded.

"I also want to know what else is on this." Adama held out Soblet's pda with the data chip that had been found on his person. "There is at least one unauthorized picture. I want to know what else Soblet could have seen."

Angela's eyes widened, then she nodded as she took the hand device. 'Yes, sir.'

Slipping the card into its slot, Angela started checking to see what it had. 'Damn,' she whispered once the images started appearing. Most of them were of the raptor and its engine. "Ship pictures," she commented.

"What I suspected," Adama's face darkened. "To make sure none of this gets out, Major, I want you to destroy it."

"Yes, sir."

TBC...

(1) quote from the TV show Married: With Children  
(2) Gul Dukat from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine


	35. Chapter 35

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 35  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-five_**

After the complete destruction of Soblet's pda, Glennan had one of the marines deliver the battery to the former liaison. He had yet to be transferred back to the _Goch_. Her mind was not at all on what had just happened, but rather on the pda she had requested for Gaeta to begin to really learn her language.

She almost made it all the way back to the marine barracks before she got lost. Realizing she made another wrong turn she glanced at the doors to see what was around her. "Security Office," she read on one of the doors. Feeling around the door, she wondered if it was open or not. Shrugging, she continued down the corridor, not quite sure which way she was to go once she reached an intersection. Realizing it was a blind choice, she randomly chose a direction to go, but was intercepted by several smiling marines.

Smiling marines did not bode well for her, she had come to believe. In their excitement, they hustled her back to where she had been. When they stopped, they were in front of the security offices.

"What?" she asked, completely confused now.

With a flourish, the door was opened and the lights turned on. Although still packed up, her computer was on the desk, and the cradle for her pda was attached to the wall. The extra pda and its components were on the desk. 'I don't know what to say. . .' she said while closing her eyes. She did not expect this to happen. She was only there to first instill some sort of trust and then work with the marines. The troops seemed to think she was their commanding officer. But she wasn't, and it made her uncomfortable the deference they were giving her.

Opening up the obvious weapons locker, she found her backpack in the bottom. They had taken the time to not unpack that, which she was grateful for. The locker was much larger and set up differently from what she was accustomed to, but she knew she would get used to it. Closing the locker, she turned and shook her head at the smiling marines. _They went through all that trouble to get me moved in_, she thought to herself. She didn't deserve the way they treated her.

'I don't know what to say,' she smiled.

"You've got direct access to us," Kelso answered with a grin as he opened up the door leading directly into the barracks.

Angela shut the door after she poked her head through. This was just too much for her.

"Ma'am, there's more."

"More?"

They brought her over to the other door in the office. This one was marked 'private'. Opening it, Angela found it to be a cabin close to the size she had been in before Soblet had ousted her. It was completely furnished and she could tell they had taken the time to unpack her things. She knew it would take a while before she found everything and rearranged things, but she was essentially set for the time she was on board.

When they all finally filed out and back into the barracks, Angela sat on the bed with tears in her eyes. Of everything she had seen and heard, she never expected this. The marines wanted her, and had told her that in their own way. Getting up, she wandered into the head. It was a little bit smaller than the one in the quarters she had earlier, but it had everything she needed. She smiled at the thought that they had no idea what some of her things were, and just placed them on the counter. After putting everything away, she went back into her, _her_ quarters. It was only then she realized she had made it without getting lost.

'I do need to get Felix that pda for his English lessons, and talk about what happened last night,' she mumbled to herself. Moving back into her office she reached for the pda with all its components that were on the desk. Gathering them up, she put some of the smaller parts in her pockets, then left for the senior officers quarters.

Once she reached her original quarters, she found it had been emptied except for the transceiver. Seeing the Terran electronic device made her wonder if she could have it transferred over to her office. Putting that thought aside for the time being, she moved around the corner away from the Admiral's quarters. She had a feeling Gaeta's would be near, but she wasn't sure where it would be. The next door she stopped at and read the wording, "Executive Officer." Smiling, she turned the locking mechanism and pulled the door open.

Just as she took a step into the decent size cabin she was hit with a flash memory of when they were in the middle of a deeply sensuous kiss as she rode him. When the memory disappeared it left her skin hyper sensitive. She rubbed her arm as she sat down. 'Why am I even here? I can even smell him,' she muttered. Even though she didn't want to admit it, his scent gave her an excited thrill, and one of anticipation of what was to come later tonight.

Pulling out the extra components, she was fiddling with them when she heard the door open. Not only was her skin hypersensitive, but she found she was hyper aware of his presence. "Angela? What are you doing here?" Gaeta asked nervously as he turned and closed the door. Even though he had asked, they both knew why she was there. They needed someplace private, and his quarters were the best.

"I want to show you something," Angela started, not even dealing with the underlying issue between them. She used her pda to make sure he understood what she was trying to say. Just as he was sitting down on the other side of the table she pushed the spare pda across towards him. Just as it was within reach, she quickly let go and withdrew her hand. "There are English lessons on the pda."

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to learn it." Gaeta shook his head. The small computer still sat on the table between them.

"What did you do before? Any programming?"

Gaeta nodded after a moment or two.

"Think of the English language as a computer program. Instead of using it to tell a computer what to do, you use it to talk to other people." She hoped her explanation was good enough for him to catch on.

A slow smile crossed his face when he realized how he could learn the language. "Thank you." He flushed with embarrassment as he continued, "About lastnight. . .I'm sorry. I had no idea what I was doing. If this is the last time we see each other, I understand. I, I won't do it again."

"Please, don't," Angela answered as she reached across to take his hand. When they touched, they both jerked back as if stung. "If you are willing, I would like to see where this goes, but. . ."

"Hold off on the rack," Felix answered with a somewhat amused look on his face. "although, I don't think the marines would mind."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about that. They took it upon themselves and moved me into the Security Offices. They even unpacked my things." She shrugged.

Gaeta narrowed his eyes for a moment, "Security?"

"Yes, and I'm somewhat uncomfortable with it, especially in how they're treating me. I am not their commanding officer. They should not be deferring to me to that extent." Angela sat back and shook her head.

"You have to realize, you're demanding their respect, and are treating them the same way. They can't help but want to follow you. The Admiral has even commented that he has seen an obvious improvement in their quality of work. You have given them their self respect back."

_I don't want to know what beat them down_, Angela thought. She nodded.

"Now, what about Thrace?"

"Taken care of," Angela let a rather wicked grin show, but quickly concealed it. "I don't mind drinking. I just do not like drinking at official functions."

Gaeta thought for a moment before commenting, "Is that why the Terran pilots scattered when we first showed up?"

"Yes," Angela closed her eyes. "But it was much worse. They were doing it just to get me drunk. Thrace had a plan."

"You make it sound as if, Lieutenant Thrace's plan was much worse that the Terran pilots."

She blushed, "It would have been if the ending hadn't been as amicable as it turned out to be." Feeling that she didn't need to be there anymore, Angela got up and started moving towards the door. As she passed, Gaeta reached out and grasped her hand to stop her. "Are you free tonight?" he asked hesitantly.

A small smile crossed her face as she nodded. "Yes."

"There's, um, something I'd like to show you?" he asked hopefully.

Angela nodded as she bent over and kissed him on the cheek.

Once she was gone, Gaeta had a hard time keeping the grin off his face. Sweeping his eyes around the cabin, he noticed once again the book on tactics for the sacred game. _Now is as good a time as any_, he thought to himself. In fact, it was the only time in the past week that he could remember having any free time, and remembering it at the same time.

Picking the tome up, he tucked it under his arm and left his cabin. He noticed the marine guard outside the VIP cabin as he passed it. When he reached Adama's cabin, he knocked on it and waited a moment or two. Eventually Adama opened the door and let him come in. "Sir," Gaeta started. "I wanted to return this. I really haven't had any time to study it in the past week." The younger officer held out the book.

"No one has had any real time to themselves in the past week, Major," Adama answered as he accepted it. "Although, I still want to see what your level is at," he finished as he put the book on the coffee table.

"How's that, sir?" Gaeta followed him into the office area.

Adama answered while sitting down, "There are a few ways. What I'll do is write down a scenario on paper and you give me your answers underneath. That should tell me where you are at. From there we can discuss the issues."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta nodded. "Sir, there is something else. Remember how I mentioned what the marines did for Lieutenant Glennan? Well, they've gone farther. They moved her into the Security Officers quarters. I thought Hadrian was using the cabin, but apparently not."

"Security?" Adama asked clearly surprised.

"Yes. Though, she mentioned she feels very uncomfortable there, but the marines insisted on it."

Adama reached down for the crew manifest and listing of cabins that were available. "I never thought about security. I also assumed Hadrian had taken over and moved into it."

"She might not have, sir. I have noticed that she gives some deference towards An - Lieutenant Glennan." Gaeta silently berated himself for his slip. He never noticed the brief smile that flitted across Adama's face before disappearing while checking out the listings. "Not as much as the marines."

"Which reminds me," Adama sat back in his chair. "Just what did Lieutenant Thrace do to deserve what she got?"

Gaeta's eyes widened and swallowed hard then flushed with embarrassment. "Sir, even though it was a reception, she went as far as getting both of us drunk."

"You don't normally see sober people in the condition she was in." Adama's eyes held some mirth, but he was serious at the same time. "I can understand why it was done, but I do not want it to happen again. Do you understand?"

Gaeta could feel Adama's eyes bore into him. It made him subconsciously straighten his back, "Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good."

* * *

Mair O'Neill looked at the blank screen in front of her. Of all the things she had to deal with, this was the worst so far. At the moment, Soblet was in the brig on her ship. He rather deserved what had happened to him. With what just came across, she found out that she would now have to deal with the ambassador. His identity was locked behind a security clearance she did not have. That gave her a sneaking suspicion that the EU managed to get him appointed to the post.

Reaching over, she opened an internal channel to the comm. officer on duty, 'Harris?'

_'Yes, ma'am?'_

'Send a message to Admiral Adama. Let him know that the Terran Ambassador is on his way. He should arrive within the next day or two.'

_'Roger.'_

Disconnecting the line, she went back to looking at the blank screen.

* * *

Kara glared at the rather amused pilots that she shared the crew bunks with. "It is not funny," she grumbled as she pulled on her uniform trousers. At least she found her clothing folded neatly on her rack. Of all she had observed with the Terran lieutenant, this was not one of them. In fact Glennan never showed any signs of going through swift humiliating paybacks. "I bet Gaeta helped her with it," she muttered. "She needed someone higher up to get away with it."

Leaving the pilot's area, she thought she might at least find out why she reacted the way she had. It was all in good fun, plus it was a reception. What harm could come from one of those, she asked herself as she moved down the corridor.

She sighed once she reached Glennan's cabin. Raising her hand, Kara hesitated before knocking. When there was no answer, she knocked again.

Still no answer.

Shrugging, she opened the door and found the cabin dark. Flipping on the light she found herself in a vacated cabin. All but an unusual piece of Terran equipment was gone. "What the. . ." she asked as she ran a hand through her short hair. "Was she forced to leave?" Kara had a horrified thought, _Maybe they forced her to leave because of what she did?_

Thinking that had to be the reason why, she went around to Adama's cabin. She had to apologize for this. Glennan didn't deserve to be removed from the _Galactica_. It had been her fault to begin with.

_At least President Roslin isn't here_, Kara thought as she knocked on the door. Adama must have been close to the door, he opened it up fairly quickly. "Kara?" he asked as he backed away to let her in.

Starbuck was struck by the similarities of when she had admitted to him her role in Zack's death. "Sir, I found Lieutenant Glennan's cabin vacated. She shouldn't have been removed from the ship. It was my fault to begin with." Kara looked down, not knowing what else to say.

"Kara, I _know_ what happened. Major Gaeta was just here." Starbuck visibly cringed at his admission. "Though, your fears have no basis in what is really going on."

"What. . .sir?" she asked as she whipped her head back up. He was giving her a somewhat amused smile.

"She's not there is because the new liaison removed her from the cabin. She is with the marines now, but in the security officer's cabin.

Starbuck's eyes closed with relief, "Thank you, sir. It was just the thought that because of my stupid actions it got her removed."

"You might want to apologize to her," Adama gave her a knowing glance.

Just as she was turning to leave, Kara asked, "Why is the cabin empty?"

"Soblet was removed because he was found actively taking pictures of our technology," Adama answered with an edge to his voice.

"Mother frakker," Kara hissed.

"Lieutenant, he has already been removed from the _Galactica_, and the information was destroyed." He effectively ended the conversation by escorting her to the door.

"Yes, sir," Kara nodded, knowing the look he gave her.

Once she was back out and in the corridor, she breathed a sigh of relief. Kara found herself glad that it hadn't turn out as bad as she had expected. "Security," she muttered as she moved down the corridor. It was a surprise, but not so at the same time. The marines loved her, that much she could tell. And for them to take the next step wasn't that much of a jump.

Thinking it might be the best way to find her, Kara went down towards the marine barracks and security. Eventually she turned a corner and found Glennan talking to one of the marines. She stopped and watched, not wanting to interrupt. When the separated, the marine walked past her and nodded, but grinning at the same time. Once he was around the corner, Kara rolled her eyes. Glennan was about to turn the corner, so she had to run to catch her. "Lieutenant?" she called as she neared the corner.

Angela turned and gave her a slightly guarded look. "Yes?"

"I'd like to apologize for what I did. I thought you had been removed because of what you did."

Angela shook her head. "Apology?" When Kara nodded, Angela finished, "Taken."

"Thank the gods," Kara mumbled. "Friends?" she asked as she held out her hand. When Angela accepted that, she was even more relieved. Hesitating for a moment, Kara finally dredged up the courage to find out why Angela was so swift in retribution, "Can I ask why?"

Angela shrugged, "I do not drink at official functions, even receptions."

"For what it's worth, neither does Gaeta," Kara commented as they rounded the corner.

* * *

Once Kara had left, Adama headed towards CIC to check on the status of everything. Seeing everything was under control, he went on his rounds throughout the ship. Finding his way over to the starboard flight pod, he slipped inside it. His main reason for being there was to check on the status of _Colonial One_. She was just about ready for habitation once again.

Hearing some noise in the gift shop, he wandered over in that direction. To his surprise, he found Gaeta searching through one of the boxes. Adama watched as the younger officer pulled out one of the watches he knew was there. He had been given a list of what was to be sold, and he had even offered several of them at cost, but he had declined. He let a smile cross his face as he continued on his way towards the government ship.

Reaching the airlock, he looked at the listing of what was left to do for the civilian ship. They were testing the integrity of the systems. It would still be in an airless environment, but completely hooked into the _Galactica_'s systems. Until they got the raw materials for the foundry ship, _Colonial One_ was still crippled.

On his way back he purposefully went by security. Opening the door into the office, he could see the Terran's computer equipment on the desk, but not opened. Glennan had yet to fully move into the new office. Smiling, he closed the door and headed back up towards the senior officers quarters. When he finally reached his quarters he nodded to the marines standing guard, then entered his cabin.

"Bill, I've been thinking," Laura said as she came out of the head. "Have you decided on how we're going to handle the trial?"

Adama sat down on the couch and loosened the top buttons of his uniform shirt. "Somewhat. I'd rather have it completely military and not let the press in on it, but that won't work."

Laura shook her head. "No. The people need to know what is going on, and why Vice President Gaius Baltar is on trial."

"Collaboration."

"I know that, and you know that, but you should know by now that the public is very fickle when it comes to who they bestow their favor upon." She reached for a file she brought from the VIP quarters then flipped through it. "You know, we can do it both ways. A compromise?"

"How?" Bill narrowed his eyes, not quite sure what she was implying.

Coming over to him, she sat down and continued. "We can have the trial be in the civilian realm, but have military security."

"And what about the vice president's office? Have _you_ thought about that?"

Laura blushed while looking down, "Actually, I have. I never thought I'd be doing this, but I talked to Tom Zarek at the reception about the prospect of appointing him." She smiled at his surprised reaction, "You should have seen his face, he was rather stunned at the offer."

Getting up, Bill went over to his desk and retrieved several sheets of paper and a pen. When he sat back down he started listing all the things that needed to happen with the security. "I will have the marines Glennan is training as the visible security, but with just a side arm. The backups can be from the _Pegasus_, and in full tactical gear."

"Hidden?"

"For now. The less obvious they are armed, the more comfortable the civilians will be."

"Of course," Laura smiled as she rubbed his back.

"Ma'am?" Billy opened the door slowly.

Laura took off her glasses, "Yes, Billy? What is it?"

"One of the reporters, Playa Palacios, has been calling. She wants to do an interview with Lieutenant Glennan."

"Right, she mentioned that at the reception. Is there anything else?"

"Do you know where the Terran is? I don't think it would be wise for Ms. Palacios to wander around the ship looking for the Lieutenant."

Laura glanced towards Bill for a moment then brought her attention back to Billy. "As soon as either the Admiral or I see her, we'll tell her. Why don't you have Playa stay where she is, that way we can reach her quickly."

"Yes, ma'am." Billy nodded.

"That is all."

* * *

Cottle stood just inside the morgue where he had put the Cylons. All if them had gone completely brain dead near the end of that last battle. There was no reason why he needed to keep them alive, except for curiosity's sake. But, he wasn't that kind of doctor. For him, it was the living that mattered. Still, somehow Sharon had survived all of what had happened, while the others. . .

Not seeing anything else he could do, he left for Life Station once again. The wounded from that last encounter with the Cylons had created more broken bones and lacerations than anything else. He would have to send a report to the President and Adama about who they had lost.

"Dr. Cottle!"

Jack turned around and waited for the medic to catch up with him. "What is it?"

"The Cylon, Sharon, she's having contractions. I've sent her to Life Station."

"All right," he muttered, then turned and quickened his pace. She was close to a month early, but she should be all right. Barring any complications, she should hopefully give birth normally.

When he entered, Cottle found that Helo had somehow managed to find out, and was waiting there impatiently. "Sir!" he said as he rushed towards him. "How is she? Has she had the baby yet?"

"Calm down, Lieutenant," Cottle said with an amused look on his face. "I have to see what's going on before I can give you any answers.

Helo seemed to stop and look down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, sir."

Cottle placed a hand on the younger officer's shoulder. "She should be fine, as long as the Cylons were able to create the right plumbing."

Karl rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the encouragement," he muttered. "Can I be there? I really would like to."

Cottle nodded as he moved across the room. "Follow me."

Five minutes later, they came out through another door from the scrubbing room and into what the medics had converted over into a birthing room. "Sharon!" Helo came over to her. "Are you all right?"

"No, it frakkin' hurts," she muttered.

"Giving birth _always_ hurts. You should have known about that," Cottle grumbled. "And it's too late for me to give you any pain killers," he finished. "Your baby will be born in less than 15 minutes," he commented after giving the Cylon a full examination.

"God it hurts!" she cried out just as Cottle ordered her to bear down. Even with Sharon's heightened strength, it still took a lot out of her.

"Your daughter is here," Cottle said with a smile in his voice over the infant's wailing.

"A girl?" Karl asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, and she looks normal," Cottle glanced towards Sharon. Karl was wiping her face with a small towel.

"Can I see her," Sharon asked, exhaustion clearly lacing her voice.

"For a short time. I'm going to have to run some tests on her to make sure she's healthy."

"I want her now!" Sharon sat up, anger written across her face.

"Please, Sharon. Let Dr. Cottle do what he needs to do," Karl tried to appease her. "You'll get to see her soon enough."

Cottle was surprised at the Cylon's response. "Valerii, your child is the first hybrid. I want to make sure she is healthy and will survive." Backing away, he pulled off his gloves and had the med techs move both Sharon and her newborn into the appropriate areas of Life Station. He needed a cigarette, and had to tell both Adama and Roslin that the infant was now here.

TBC...


	36. Chapter 36

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 36  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-six_**

Angela stepped inside the recently vacated Flag quarters. She stopped short when she saw the camera being set up. A video interview was not what she had been expecting.

"Oh, good, you're here," Playa said brightly as she gathered her papers. Coming over to the Terran, she offered her hand. "Hello. I'm Playa Palacios from the _Colonial Gang_."

"Lieutenant Glennan," Angela answered as she accepted the greeting. Pulling out her pda she asked, "Is this going to be live?"

"If you want it, we can do that."

"No. . .thanks," Angela shook her head as she slipped the pda back into her pocket.

Playa nodded, then moved over to her cameraman. She said something, then turned her attention back to the Terran. "I can put you here. I do wish you had a Terran flag behind you," the reporter went on as she directed Angela to the table. "But the uniform is different enough for the viewers to know that you're not under Admiral Adama." When she turned her attention back to Angela, the Terran had a slightly confused look on her face.

"Speak too fast. I understand if speak slowly."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Playa apologized. "You can understand me?"

"Much - - most. . ." Angela rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I think I know what you meant," Playa gave her a smile. "For me it's amazing that you don't speak our language."

"Much talk on Terra."

The reporter looked at her in confusion. "I'm not sure what you meant by that. Could you use that?" She pointed to the now hidden pda.

The Terran nodded then repeated herself, "There are thousands of languages on Terra."

"Thousands?" Playa looked at her in amazement. "How is that possible?"

Angela shrugged. "It just is."

Choking down her amazement, Playa smiled and indicated the chairs. "You can keep your translator in your lap if you want. Since this will not be live, we'll be able to cut out the time it takes for you to answer the questions, all right?"

'Okay,' Angela nodded.

Ignoring the comment, Playa looked directly into the camera and began, "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Since last week, and the recent revelations announced by Admiral Adama concerning Earth, I have been wanting to do a one-on-one interview with the Terran Liaison. Just recently I was given permission from Captain O'Neill, her commanding officer, and the Admiral. Tonight, I have the privilege to interview Lieutenant Angela Glennan." Because of a monitor that was set up behind the cameraman, Angela could see the camera panning over to her position. Ironically enough, she could just make out the transceiver in the background.

"I want to thank you for setting aside this time for an interview," she smiled warmly, trying to put Angela more at ease. "Now I think everyone will want to know this: are you really from Earth?"

For a moment Angela hesitated, not quite sure if she should answer the question. She did know that Adama had announced to the entire fleet about who they really were. _Even though we had a discussion about this, I want the skipper to see this before it's broadcast_, she thought before answering. "Yes. I was born in a country called Scotland. My family, though, immigrated to one of Terra's colonies a short time later."

"That's interesting, because you have a distinct Leonis accent. The average Colonial would assume you were from there."

"But I am not," Angela answered with a slight smile. "When I learn a new language, I tend to absorb the accent of the one instructing me."

"Back to Earth. I assumed you had one government for the entire planet. What do you mean by country?"

Angela gave her a thin smile, she wasn't about to let them know the tenuous peace Terra had with herself, "It's complicated, but our strength is in our diversity. The beauty of it is that each group of nations gives to the planetary defense forces what they can afford. If all they can do is one squadron of soldiers, then that is more than enough. The richer the country, the more they are obligated to help protect the planet."

_Interesting_, Playa thought. _Seems like there's lots of infighting_. "So there are problems within the Terran government?"

Angela hesitated for a moment, but eventually answered in a pleasant tone, "When the Terran Ambassador arrives he or she will be able to give you more information. If you want more detail on the myriad of cultures on Terra I can contact my commanding officer and she can have a packet prepared for you."

Thinking she might be able to get at least some type of answer, Playa went in another direction, "Sources state that you have been working with the marines from the _Galactica_."

Angela nodded while widening her smile. "I am very satisfied with their progress."

"Really? What are your goals concerning the marines?"

"Right now they are soldiers and think like soldiers, which is good. You need soldiers, but you also need police officers. I have started focusing their training more on general police work than what they've been doing on the _Galactica_. They need to know how to interact with the civilian population and not be intimidating at the same time."

"Like when Mark Harrison was arrested on _Cloud Nine_ several days ago? The marines used police techniques. Can you comment on that?"

"For the actual incident I cannot comment on, but for the techniques I can. The marine you are talking about used basic police techniques to subdue a suspect so that danger to both the arresting officer and suspect is kept at a minimum."

"Most of Vice President Gaius Baltar's supporters are furious that he was arrested. He was taken into custody at the same time. Can you talk to me about that?"

"Ma'am, I was not there, so I cannot give you any information. If you want to know the reasons you should talk to either Admiral Adama or President Roslin," she answered with a smile.

Playa leaned back in her chair. "I see. You're not going to say anything unless you've been given permission?"

"That's about right. . .ma'am," Angela answered with a straight face, but her eyes showed some amusement. "I can still contact Captain O'Neill about the packet."

Playa's eyes widened slightly while she nodded. "Thank you, that would be greatly appreciated."

When it was finally finished, Angela got up and looked around a moment. "Thank you," she said as she reached out a hand.

"No, thank _you_. To be the first one to score an interview with someone from Earth. . ." Playa couldn't help but smile.

"I do understand, our reporters are the same. I think they're the same anywhere you go. . ." She shrugged.

"I do want to thank you for this time," Playa nodded and also accepted the hand that was offered.

Once Angela was out of the flag quarters she knew she needed to get a report sent to O'Neill about the interview and the information that Playa requested. Turning the corner, she stopped at Adama's quarters. "Speak to Admiral?"

"Yes, ma'am," one answered smartly, then opened the door. He returned moments later and nodded while pulling the door further open.

"Thank you," she said slowly. She found Adama sitting at his table going over several files. "Sir?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked as he set the folder down.

"The, uh, transceiver? Can I have it moved, sir?"

"To security?"

Angela's eyes widened slightly. "How. . .?"

"Major Gaeta has already told me what the marines did." He indicated the chair to the side of him. When she sat down, he continued, "And until I see fit to have you moved, the security office and quarters are yours to use."

Glennan's eyes widened as her mouth opened in shock. "Uh. . ."

"Lieutenant, you have proven trustworthy so far. And because of that, I encourage you to continue your work with the marines. What little you have done has raised their morale substantially."

"I demand no less than the best they have to offer while treating them with respect, sir."

"They also see you as one of them. They know you are not a pilot." Picking up the file, he continued, "You're dismissed. The next marines you see, other than the ones on guard duty, can move the transceiver. I know you need to make your reports."

"Yes, sir." Angela stood at attention then turned on her heels towards the door. "And thank you." When she was gone, Adama smiled while settling deeper into the chair.

Glennan kept her features schooled until she reached one of the somewhat empty corridors. Looking around, she made sure no one was around. When she felt satisfied, she broke out into a huge grin. First Felix and now the Admiral. This was too good to be true. The position she had been given on the _Goch_ has now turned into her idea of a plum assignment. If only she could get her rank back, she sighed. Straightening her shirt, she continued down the corridor. She enlisted the help of the first two marines she came across to help her move the transceiver.

The shelf beside her desk was the right size for the transceiver. Once it was secured, she plugged it into the _Galactica_'s systems. She then set up her computer and printer. Hitting a few keys, she started her music program on the computer. While listening, she turned and pulled the backpack out of the bottom of the weapons locker. When it was emptied she dropped it in the bottom desk drawer then started organizing the training weapons. There was one empty drawer within the locker, so she appropriated it for her training weapons.

When she was finally finished she went back into her quarters, while leaving the door open (she did want to listen to the music). Opening up the locker she started organizing her things, hoping she would be able to find everything, and not knowing how the Colonial marines set theirs up.

Some time later she decided to take a break in the move-in and go back to the office. Pausing the music, she turned on the transceiver. '_Goch_, this is Glennan. How do you read?'

_'Loud and clear, Lieutenant!'_

'Harris, I need to speak to the skipper. Is she available?'

_'Hold one.'_

_'Lieutenant, do you have anything to report?'_ Mair asked once she was on.

'Some, ma'am. The marines have. . .moved me into their security officer's quarters. I didn't ask for it.' Angela looked down while blushing.

_'Security? Does Adama know about this development?'_

'Yes, ma'am. He seemed quite pleased at it. He also gave his permission to move the transceiver to my new office.' She paused before continuing. 'And I'm sorry about what happened at the reception. You know I don't drink at official functions.'

_'Don't worry about that. You were helped out of there before it got too far,'_ Mair answered with a smile in her voice.

'And said officer was properly thanked for her assistance,' Angela answered with a smirk on her face.

_'Is there anything else you need to report?_'

'Yes, ma'am. I was interviewed earlier today. The reporter was really trying to find out about our issues. I didn't reveal anything, but I did offer to have a packet prepared on the cultures Terra has.'

_'Good work. I'll have someone put something together that's media friendly. It should be ready in time for the next shuttle run.'_

Angela looked at the wall, unseeing after the signal was disconnected. Shaking herself out of it, she glanced to the comm. unit mounted to the bulkhead just in reach. 'And I don't even know how to use that yet,' she muttered. Though, she knew she needed to contact the reporter to tell her that the information she requested was being gathered. After a few more minutes she got up and moved to the entrance into the barracks. Right as she was opening the door, someone knocked on the outside entrance. Taking a few brisk steps she reached it just as it was being opened. She jumped back, startled.

Gaeta raised his hands in surprise as he backed up a step. "I'm sorry," he said quickly.

Angela sighed while closed her eyes. 'It's okay,' she said.

'Ready?' he asked as he took a step closer.

'Ready?' Angela narrowed her eyes, not quite sure what he meant by that. It was only then she realized he had asked it in English. Her eyes widened slightly as a smile crossed her face. "Not yet." Moving back to her computer, she turned it off, then pushed it to the side. 'Now I'm ready,' she answered with a smile.

* * *

Laura stood over the incubator looking down in awe at the small life before her. "She looks just like a normal infant," she said quietly as her hands rested on the edges of the enclosed bed.

"Except for a few internal growths, she is," Cottle answered with a surprisingly gentle tone.

Laura looked up at the _Galactica_'s senior medical officer. "What are we going to do?"

"Ma'am, I don't know what you're going to do, but I am going to talk to Adama." Cottle pulled off his lab coat and made sure his uniform shirt was straight.

"About what?"

"There are too many things that don't work," he answered as he pulled the door open. He briskly moved down the hall, not caring if she was going to follow him or not. Just the fact that both Sharon and her daughter, whom she had named Hera, were perfectly fine when the other obvious Cylon was now lying in the morgue, bothered him greatly.

"Doctor, slow down, please," Laura called. She was a half a corridor behind him. Cottle didn't stop, but he did slow down so she could catch up with him. "I want to know why, also," she answered slightly out of breath.

When they were outside of Bill's quarters, Cottle glanced to her, then knocked.

"Jack," Bill looked at him with curiosity for a moment. Catching Laura's look, he backed away and let the two enter. Once the door was closed, he folded his arms and asked, "All right, what is it?"

"I have at least one Cylon in the morgue completely brain dead, and another who is perfectly healthy," Cottle started.

"Valerii had her baby," Laura said quietly. "Hera looks just like one of us."

"I'm not here because of that. What I want to know is what the Terrans did during the last encounter with the Cylons."

"Sent a computer virus near the end of the battle," Adama finally answered. "What do you mean at least one?"

"There are two others in the morgue with the same symptoms."

"I'm inclined to think those were also Cylons," Laura answered.

"What about Valerii?" Adama looked from one to the other.

"She mentioned something last week when I was examining her in her cell. Something to the fact that she disconnected herself."

Laura's eyes widened. "I didn't think that was possible."

"Whether or not she did it, she still isn't sick or succumbed to the Terran worm," Bill answered.

"I wish that Cylon Detector worked," Laura sighed as she rubbed her arms. "Is. . .is there any way to see if it can be fixed or not?" she continued.

Bill looked again from one to the other. Eventually he settled his eyes on Cottle. "Keep me informed as to the condition of the Cylon and its child. You're dismissed."

Laura looked back to Bill once the door was closed. "Well?"

"I can have Gaeta take a look at it. I had him helping early on."

Laura nodded, for once she seemed alone.

"You're not alone," Bill said softly as he pulled her into a close embrace.

Laura was quiet for a time before she finally deciding to speak, "We've found Earth, but why do I feel that we're still searching?"

TBC...


	37. Chapter 37

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 37  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-seven_**

"I want to know what you know about the detector Dr. Baltar created."

Adama looked at Gaeta critically for a moment before turning his attention to Cottle. The three officers were sitting around a lone table in the officer's ward room. "You mentioned early last week that the Terran's PDA can be used as another Cylon detector?"

"Yes," Cottle nodded as he looked at the papers in front of him. "They have a scanning device that's designed to pick up bioengineered tissue that's not indigenous to the patient in question." He leaned back while reaching into his breast pocket for his cigarettes. "I'm not sure why we didn't have this technology before."

"They didn't go the AI route, but went towards smart computers," Gaeta commented. "Although, they do have entertainment videos that paint a bleak picture of a post 'apocalyptic' society with AI's in complete control. Something I'm inclined to think the Cylons created on our homeworlds once they were finished with them."

"Are they this pessimistic about their future?" Adama asked.

"No, sir. They've got other videos with humans working together with other 'alien' races for mutual defense." He shook his head, "Very odd, sir."

"What about the detector?" Adama looked down to the notes before him.

"Sir, he was very secretive about it. I'm not entirely sure how or if it works."

"Did he ever have you involved with its development?" Adama looked back up to Gaeta.

"Not really, sir. Only with the acquisition of parts, and a few times with the actual building of it." Gaeta shook his head. "Sorry, sir."

Adama nodded slowly, it was something he had been expecting. "When we're finished here, I want you to go to Dr. Baltar's lab and see what you can do with the Cylon Detector."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta answered.

"Do you think we can experiment with one of those Terran medical computers?" Adama asked while he turned his attention back to Cottle.

"I suspect it'll be Jankowitz's call on that," Cottle answered while taking a drag on his cigarette. "Though, I don't think he will disagree on our asking for help in that area."

"Amenable?"

"Mostly. He was the one that did the initial scans of Gina. Hell, didn't think anything was wrong with her except maybe having what looked like mostly benign tumors."

"I remember you showing it to me." Adama hesitated before continuing, "I want to talk to Jankowitz personally about this. Can he understand us?"

"Yes, sir," Cottle nodded.

"Good. I want to know if it can be used as either a backup or our main Cylon detector. That is if Baltar did create a working detector. You're dismissed," Adama ended the conference.

Some time later Gaeta looked at the components of Baltar's Cylon Detector. He had no idea how or even where to start. He had been telling the truth about how secretive Baltar had been with its creation. He looked up and saw the comm. unit then turned back to the detector. After a moment's thought, he reached for the unit and keyed in a few numbers. "Angela. . .it looks like I will be late. . .can't say over the comm. . .all right." Plugging it back in, he reached over and turned the detector on. "At least it looks like it's running," he muttered as he looked around.

"Now, what to do. . ." Getting up, he went through the database for the blood samples. He thought if he ran the test on a known Cylon, it could give him ideas on where he could take the possible repairs or reprogramming. "I know Valerii is one. I wonder if her blood sample is still here," he muttered as he began to go through the database. Not finding anything of value, he considered for a moment going down to life station, or at least contacting them so they wouldn't be completely surprised at his request.

The retrieval took only ten minutes. Luckily Cottle still had samples of the Cylon's blood still on hand. Opening up the test dish, he let a few drops of her blood seep into the testing material. When finished, he pushed the sample into the machine and set it to run. "Twelve hours? Twelve frakkin' hours?" Gaeta complained when he saw the time estimate. "It doesn't take twelve hours to run a blood test. There has got to be something I can do to cut down the amount of time to something much more manageable."

He knew he would not be able to get to it for some time, and plus, the first two tests were to make sure that it did indeed work the way Baltar had initially said it would. Gaeta reached for the comm. again. "Sir, first test is running. . .Valerii. . .I'll report on the findings in twelve hours. I think the time it takes to run the test can be cut down. Twelve hours is too long to run a simple blood test."

Seeing there was nothing else he could do, Gaeta stepped out of the lab and closed the door, firmly sealing it. As he moved down the corridor he looked at his watch. He was way late. At least the detector was running; working properly was another story entirely.

He let his mind wander to the events of the past week. Even though Angela was used to seeing space from screens, she had looked in appreciation at the sight of the fleet and the Terran vessels when he had taken her to the observation deck. Too bad they hadn't been alone. He had to admit, it was a popular place for couples. The decent part about it was that almost everyone minded their own business, and personal displays of affection weren't too obvious.

Reaching Security, he passed beside the office door and went further down along the corridor to the one that directly accessed the private quarters. Glennan had gotten into the habit of keeping the door open and the light on when she was in the office. Looking at the time, he realized it was quite late. Stepping up to the cabin, he knocked on the door, "Glennan?"

It was several minutes before Angela opened the door. "How did go?" she asked sleepily. She was wearing a robe, but he couldn't tell what else.

He gave a slight smile at his answer, 'Okay.'

Nodding, she backed away from the door so he could enter. "If you don't want me here, that's fine. I know it's late."

'It's okay,' she answered as she slipped her arms around his neck. 'You don't have to leave.'

Gaeta knew exactly what she meant and smiled as he pushed the door closed then picked her up and moved towards her decent sized rack.

* * *

Gaeta sat down in front of Gaius Baltar's Cylon Detector. It was a little over twelve hours since he had started the test with Valerii's blood sample. For a moment he closed his eyes while letting a slight smile cross his face. At least this time Angela hadn't forcibly removed him from the rack, it was much better waking up and finding himself not on the deck.

Without thinking, he removed the sample and recorded the findings on a piece of paper. The blinking screen eventually caught his attention and he focused on it. It took a moment or two before he realized what it was telling him. "Very interesting," he muttered. "And Baltar clearly stated that the detector reported that she wasn't a Cylon." After scribbling some more, he turned the detector off and went to report the initial findings to Adama.

He was barely paying any attention to the crew around him when he turned the corner and ran into someone. Looking up, his eyes widened slightly while he backed up, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I wasn't looking where I was going." The woman was a civilian, most likely a reporter.

"That's all right," she answered with a somewhat winning smile. "Isn't it a little early to be hurrying?"

Gaeta's eyes narrowed slightly. "Not really. Now, if you'll excuse me," he ended the conversation as he moved around her and back on his way to Adama's quarters.

"Interesting," she muttered as she watched him move with purpose down the corridor. "Leonis. . ." Smiling to herself, she slowly followed him, not sure where he was going or how long he would be there.

Gaeta let out the breath he had inadvertently been holding. He looked down to the sheet he was holding. He carefully put it in his pocket after folding it. _I hope she didn't see it,_ he thought to himself. Taking a deep breath he turned the corner and arrived at Adama's quarters. "Is he up?" he asked one of the marines on duty. It was early, but not too early.

The two guards looked at each other for a moment. "One moment, sir," the second one commented, then opened the door and slipped inside. He came back out a moment later and nodded while opening the door further.

"Sir?" Gaeta asked as he stepped into the room. Thinking it would be best, he turned and closed the door.

"What is it?" Adama asked as he stepped out of the head. He was partly dressed for the day and had his trousers and tanks on.

"Sir, I've finished with the first test." Gaeta pulled out the paper from his pocket and handed it over.

"Have you tested anyone else?" Adama asked after he read the findings.

Gaeta shook his head. "No, sir. I do think the next one should be one we know for sure is not a Cylon; perhaps Lieutenant Agathorn?"

"Good choice." Adama nodded as he backed away.

"Sir?" Gaeta asked. _Is that it?_ "Um, is that it?"

"No. There is something I want you to work on during your spare time today."

The Admiral pulled one of the more battered books from the shelf beside his desk and began flipping through it. When he found what he was looking for, he set it down on his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and pen and started writing. Once finished, he handed the sheet to Gaeta and said, "I want your answer below. I'll give you the rest of the day to think about it."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta nodded. Once he was back out in the corridor, he immediately went back to the lab. The earlier he got the test started the earlier it would be finished. There still had to be something he could do to cut the running time down. He immediately went to the database listings for the crew and searched for Agathorn's. Not finding it, he decided to head down to Life Station. Of all places, he figured that would be the best to get his blood sample. Rumor also stated that the Cylon had her baby early.

Entering Life Station, he looked around for Dr. Cottle. Of all the medical personnel on duty, he was the only one he felt truly comfortable talking to about the issues of the detector. "Dr. Cottle?" he asked after finding him in one of the examination room. "I need to talk to you."

Jack grunted in acknowledgment while continuing with his current exam. When he came out, they both went to Cottle's private office. "I need a sample of Agathorn's blood," he said once the door was closed.

"For Baltar's detector?" Jack took a long pull on his lit cigarette.

"Yes. I just finished with Valerii's. She tested positive. I need Helo's to make sure that it does work correctly."

"Isn't that just great. Who else knows about this?"

Gaeta let a small smile cross his face before continuing, "Admiral Adama. I've already reported my initial findings. And once Helo's test is complete, I'm going to try and see if I can cut the processing time down. Twelve hours is too long for any type of test."

"You've got your samples. He was here earlier."

"So, rumor is right? Valerii had her baby?"

"She had a girl. I've done some scans already. She doesn't have as many growths as Valerii."

Gaeta nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting."

Seeing the conference was finished, Cottle opened the door. "I'll get you those samples."

"Thank you," Gaeta answered while watching Cottle go back into the larger room. Minutes later the older officer came back and handed him a small package. Nodding, Gaeta waited a moment, not sure exactly what the senior medical officer was going to do. Once Jack turned his attention back to the others within Life Station, Gaeta turned and headed back to Baltar's lab.

Setting the detector back up was simple enough. When it was ready, he put Helo's blood into the detector and started the test. Now, he had twelve hours to do what other duties that were assigned to him. Just the thought that Sharon's test had come out positive made him really want to question Baltar on why he had lied in the first place.

Making his decision, he left the lab and headed back down towards security to where the brig was located. At a minor intersection, he took a nondescript passageway. From there, the corridors narrowed considerably. He eventually made one last turn which ended in a dead-end that held a single door. Pulling the door open, he glanced to the marines on duty. They wore the full tactical gear instead of a simple firearm most of the others were now wearing.

"I need to talk to Baltar," he told the officer on duty.

"Yes, sir," the officer answered while standing. "If you'll follow me, sir."

Gaeta nodded and followed him into the front area of the cells. In this section all but one was empty. Baltar was pacing back and forth in the only occupied cell. Realizing he had a visitor, he lunged towards the bars. "It wasn't my fault!" he hissed.

"I'm not here to debate you. . ." Gaeta lowered his voice. "I want to know why you lied about Valerii's test results with the Cylon Detector you designed."

Baltar's face darkened in anger, "I, I didn't lie. The results came across as negative!"

_And to think I idolized him,_ Gaeta thought sadly. "I ran her blood through the test again and it came out as a positive match. I'm now running the test on another officer to make sure it gave the right answer initially."

Baltar's face drained of color. "It was her," he muttered. "S-she made me do it."

"Who?" This grabbed his attention. "Who made you do it?" Gaeta asked as he took a step closer.

Without warning, the vice president shot his hand out and grabbed Gaeta's uniform while forcefully pulling the smaller man against the bars. "Get me out of here," he hissed.

"Sir!" Both marines jumped towards the cell and managed to quickly pry the XO free from Baltar's desperate strength. "Are you all right, sir?" they asked as they pulled him away from what was considered the danger zone.

"Give me a moment," Gaeta mumbled as he leaned against the back wall. Looking up, he noticed Baltar was back to pacing in his cell while mumbling. Shaking his head, he moved towards the door. "I've heard enough."

"Yes, sir," the marine on duty nodded while picking up the comm. unit and spoke quietly into it. He then turned his attention back to the prisoner once the XO had left.

Gaeta stood out in the deserted corridor while rubbing his face. He stopped over a somewhat tender area. "He needs to be removed from office," he muttered. Those were not the actions of a sane man. Moving again, he realized Baltar never had answered his question about the detector. Before leaving the first corridor, Gaeta looked down to see if his uniform was out of place. Feeling he was all right for now after a quick adjustment, he turned out of the corridor and went back towards the forward section of the ship. He eventually found himself in CIC. He did have his normal duties to take care of.

"Are you all right, sir?" Heather asked quietly once he wandered over to tactical.

"What do you mean?" Gaeta narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Your, um, cheek, sir. It looks like either a bruise or. . .something. . ." she trailed off, clearly uncomfortable about with the subject matter.

Gaeta's hand went up to the apparently developing bruise, the muscle tissue underneath the skin was somewhat tender. "It's not something for you to worry over, Lieutenant," he finally answered.

"Yes, sir," she swallowed while nodding.

Looking back over the rest of the CIC crew, he noticed with some amusement, how they suddenly all seemed extremely interested in their jobs.

When Hadrian showed up, it had been somewhat busy for some time. The marine sergeant looked around for a moment then headed straight for Gaeta. "Sir?" she asked quietly.

Gaeta turned around and looked at her for a moment before answering, "What is it, sergeant?"

"About what happened in the brig?" she responded quietly.

"I'll tell the Admiral about it," he answered with a serious look on his face.

"Yes, sir," she answered while straightening to attention. Once she was dismissed, she turned and headed out of the CIC.

Gaeta stood there for a moment or two, before he handed the watch over to Heather then went to find Adama. Remembering the paper the Admiral had given him earlier in the day, he pulled it out and read the note. It was a scenario, and the Admiral was expecting for him to write out his ideas on how he would handle the situation. He folded it and placed it back in his pocket as he went in search for the Admiral. Once again, he found himself wishing they had the same type of technology the Terrans had for quick communications and finding people on board. With a ship the size of the _Galactica_, it was almost impossible at times.

Turning into another corridor, he found Adama talking to Starbuck. He hesitated for a moment, not sure if the conversation was something that should be overheard or not. Realizing the absurdity of his thoughts, he began moving towards them while asking, "Sir?"

Kara let out a snicker before managing to swallow it. Gaeta glared at her, "That was not the cause, Lieutenant Thrace."

"Yes, sir, Major, sir," she answered with huge grin and a sloppy salute.

Gaeta chose to ignore her response and turned his attention back to Adama. "There's something very important I need to talk to you about."

"Thrace, you're dismissed," Adama told the younger pilot. Once she was gone, he continued, "Is it about that bruise?"

Gaeta rubbed it, "Yes, sir. Though it's not what you think." He paused before continuing, "I don't want to say anything about it while out here."

Understanding flared in Bill's eyes. Without another word, they both moved towards Adama's quarters. When the door closed, Gaeta sighed before starting, "It happened in the brig. I wanted to ask Baltar why he stated Valerii's test came out negative. I feel he has become unfit for office. He was mentally unstable and babbling the entire time." He looked to the books before continuing, "I inadvertently took a step within the danger zone. There were two marines as witnesses."

"What happened?" Adama asked as he took a step towards Gaeta.

"He, he yanked me against the bars. The marines managed to get Baltar to let me go."

"I see."

"He was also babbling over how 'she made me do it'. Sir, I'm not sure who or what he was referring to."

"Thank you, Major," Adama said as he moved towards the door. "I also want you to get that checked out when you have free time today."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta nodded while straightening to attention. He then left and moved back down the corridor.

Walking over to his desk, Bill picked up the comm. and punched a few buttons. Laura had officially moved her office back onto the stricken _Colonial One_ that morning. He found himself, though, missing her presence. "Madam President. You now have evidence for removing Baltar from office."

_"What happened?"_ she asked with concern.

"Gaeta went to ask him about the Cylon Detector, it seems that its initial report marked Valerii as a Cylon. He also showed classic signs of being mentally unstable."

_"What else?"_

"Assault."

_"Is Gaeta all right?"_ Laura asked in concern.

"Just some bruising from the bars, that's about it."

_"Thank the gods,"_ she mumbled. _"Now with the detector, how do we know for sure it does work?"_

"He's testing Helo's blood sample right now. Gaeta also want to see if he can reduce the time it takes for the test to run."

_"Thank you, Bill,"_ she said softly.

"Tonight?"

_"Of course, need you ask?"_ she answered with a smile in her voice.

Adama stared at the comm. unit for some time before leaving to finish his rounds for the day. Passing the mess, he glanced inside the open door. What surprised him was the sight of Gaeta still eating there. He didn't have to since he was now the executive officer. Bill figured he must not have realized that he could have relative privacy during his meals. Several officers, including Starbuck and Glennan were there with him and all were in a rather animated conversation.

Adama let a smile cross his face for a moment before letting it disappear as he rounded the corner.

"Admiral Adama!"

Bill stopped and looked around for the person. He vaguely recognized her voice, but he wasn't sure from where. Once he saw her, he immediately realized who she was. "What can I do for you, Ms. Palacios?"

"Is. . ." she looked down to her hastily scribbled notes while catching her breath, "Major Gaeta the one teaching the liaison our language?"

"What makes you think that?" Bill's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well. . .I've heard things. . ." she smiled suggestively.

"And you, of all people, should know how to take rumors." He cut short the conversation, "Now if you will excuse me. I have a ship to run." Adama left her in the corridor. Once he had moved into another area, Playa let a large smile cross her face, "The rumors _are_ true," she muttered happily.

TBC...


	38. Chapter 38

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 38  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-eight_**

"What is triad?" Angela asked as she followed Starbuck into the pilot's ward room.

"Card game. You know, I do have to redeem myself somehow. I never thought you'd know how to play pyramid."

Angela shrugged, "Close to handball." As the former liaison sat down, she could feel the weight of the watch Gaeta had given her earlier in the week. The gift had been completely unexpected. And it was something she still didn't know what to do with.

The Terran stayed out of the first hand while the rest seemed to stare each other down. In concept, it seemed close to poker, but the cards were completely different from what she was used to. Then again, she didn't play a lot of poker while on board the _Goch_. She didn't play because she wasn't any good, it was because she learned very quickly that she was always poor afterwards. Poker and her were not a good match. And if looks were any indication, Starbuck was the queen of this particular game.

The first round eventually ended. When they started passing the cards out again she shook her head and pushed the cards away. "I do not play cards," she answered while shrugging her shoulders.

Gaeta stepped inside the room and smiled. He would join in on the regular triad game, but he was too busy now. Walking around the table, he stopped when he reached Angela. 'How did she get you in?'

'I beat her at handball,' Angela answered with a smug grin.

"Hey! No fair," Kara glared at the XO. "I can't understand what you're saying."

"I only asked her if she was included in the triad game," Gaeta answered with a slight smirk on his face.

'Fold.' Angela put the unknown and confusing cards down, then pushed away from the table. "I do not know what the cards mean, or how to play the game."

"My reasons for getting you to play," Starbuck answered with a grin as she made another bet.

"How much did you loose?" Gaeta asked as they moved down the corridor.

Angela let a smile cross her face before it disappeared, 'Nothing. I never did bet anything. I know for a fact that I am not a good card player.' There was silence for a few moments when Angela decided to break it, "Where are we going?"

They entered the passageways where the senior officers quarters were located before he answered, "Admiral Adama wants to talk to you."

"Did he say what he wanted to talk about?"

"No." Reaching another intersecting corridor, he smiled and added, 'Tonight?'

"Of course," Angela answered with an amused look on her face. She let it drop once he was in the new corridor, but her eyes still showed some of the feelings she felt for the XO. Eventually, she focused on the task at hand, meeting with the Admiral. It was a surprise for her. "You want to see me, sir?" she asked once she was before him.

Adama looked up and let a ghost of a smile soften his features before they hardened once again. "You should know that we are preparing for Baltar's trial." Angela nodded while he continued, "I wanted to warn you that you might be asked to testify."

Angela looked down for a moment, she did not want to hear this particular piece of information. If she were to testify, she would be forced to answer truthfully about her past issues. It would not be a pretty sight.

"I need to know what happened to put someone in the ground forces onto a ship and not in a marine capacity."

"It was either this or resign," she shook her head slowly.

"I'll do everything in my power to make it so you do not have to testify, Lieutenant," Adama answered kindly. "You might have to, however, since he stole your computer."

"I know, sir," she answered slowly.

* * *

_'Ma'am,'_ Jack's voice came over the intercom into Mair's office. _'You wanted to be notified of any arrivals. The task force of a light cruiser and two frigates have arrived with the ambassador on board.'_

'Has it?' Mair looked up from her reports.

_'Yes. Captain Bledsoe also wishes to come on board.'_

'Did he say who Terra sent?'

_'Yes. And he also stated that he's very gracious.'_

'Who, Jack,' Mair hardened her voice slightly.

_'A Spaniard from their Royal House. Juan Bourbon Garcia.'_

_Oh great, another member of the EU_, Mair sighed. This was not going the way she intended it to go. 'Where is Bledsoe from?'

Jack answered with a chuckle, _'He's an Aussie.'_

_It would be interesting for him to meet Adama._ Mair let a smile cross her face. 'Let me know when he's ready to come on board.' She was willing to give the ambassador the benefit of the doubt because of Bledsoe.

_'Yes, ma'am,_' Jack disconnected the line. The ensuing silence was broken only by the sound of the running ship around her. Rising from her chair, she stood there, bracing herself against the desk. Since the dinner and the reception, her problems had been steadily growing worse. _Maybe it is time to retire_, she thought morbidly. _But then who would be an advocate for the Colonials?_ she questioned herself. They clung to their culture, what little was left of it, but at the same time were desperate for any help that came along. At least Adama was clear-headed enough to know whom to trust. Sighing, she straightened up the rest of the way, then reached for her cane. It was also getting harder for her to walk.

Snapping it open, she leaned heavily on it as she moved to the door. She also hated to be seen like this, in her mind her condition denoted weakness, and it was a physical weakness. Most, if not all people in her condition weren't able to do any constructive work. She was able to get away with it because of Jack. He had been with her for years it seemed. It helped that they were friends from back in the Academy. When she had been given a choice for her executive officer, she had jumped at the chance to put Jack there.

He was still waiting for his first command, and was also given the chance. But he had decided to stay with her for now. That was what surprised her.

'What are you doing?'

Mair looked up from her inspection of the floor with a slight smile. Sometimes his comments bordered on insolence, but it was well meaning at the same time. She knew why he acted the way he did. 'I do need to meet up with Bledsoe, and not wait for him like some despot,' she answered as he eventually fell into step with her. 'I couldn't do that with Donelson because I was too busy,' she finished. 'Spaniard?'

'That's what the file said.'

'I hope he's not too arrogant,' she answered as she jabbed a button on the lift once the door was closed.

'Well, Spain is sort of on the edge of the EU,' Jack offered.

'Lame excuse. They're still a part of it,' Mair answered as she left the small compartment and continued on towards the hanger.

'It's the only one available,' he answered with a slight smile.

'It's still lame,' she answered back. They soon fell into a companionable silence the rest of the way to the hanger deck.

The arrival ceremony was simplistic compared to the one when President Roslin came on board last week. Bledsoe was easy enough to spot in the entourage. Garcia, though, was a bit more difficult. Once she was able to pick him out she saw noticed he was polished and very professional at the same time.

'His Highness Juan Alfonso Bourbon y Garcia,' Bledsoe introduced the new ambassador to the Colonials from Terra.

'It is my honor, Señora Capitán, to make your acquaintance,' Juan said as he formally bowed.

For a moment Mair hesitated, not quite sure how to take the greeting. Ireland had been without any type of ruling house for several centuries. 'The honor is mine,' she answered with a slight smile.

'I would have thought our visitors would be on board your ship, Capitán,' the ambassador looked around for a moment before setting his gaze on Mair once again.

'Your Highness, they prefer their own ships, which I understand.'

'But of course,' he answered with his best smile.

_Oh great, I bet he's going to try and steal the Colonial President_, she thought disgustedly. 'I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I do have a ship to run. If you will follow my Executive Officer, he can show you to your temporary cabin. The Colonials are very wary of newcomers. They will want to know about you before they offer an invitation for you to meet with their senior Admiral and civilian President.' She was rewarded with a dark look before it disappeared into a pleasant smile.

'But of course, Señora,' he answered then followed Jack out of the hanger.

Mair stood there for some time before she finally turned around. Just as she reached the airlock she was surprised by one of the marines coming into the hanger. 'Ferguson,' she gave him a slight smile as he stepped to the side to let her through. 'I have a possible job for you. I want you to report to security for your instructions,' she said with a slight smile.

'Yes, ma'am!' he answered as he snapped to attention then turned to leave. She would have to send word to her security chief before the marine reached the office. Moving into the airlock once he was gone, she pulled out her pda. 'Security.'

_'Yes, ma'am!'_

'I want to send two marines over to the Colonials as an honor guard for the ambassador.' Once the door was completely closed, she continued, 'Also, I want them to keep an eye on him. He seems to think he's some kind of Casanova.'

_'Yes, ma'am. Wilco.'_

'Good. I want them to go over on the next shuttle. Also, I want them to make contact with Lieutenant Glennan and see if they can work with her. It won't hurt if they started learning the Colonial's language.'

_'Yes, ma'am. I understand.'_ He answered.

She ended the short conversation and left the airlock and entered into the lift. Mair knew she needed to sit down and rest really soon or it would not be a pretty sight seeing the CMO scrape her off the deck.

She didn't even get a chance to rest when she arrived at her cabin. Her message system was blinking notifying her of a recent inter-ship call. Sitting down, she waited a few moments before accessing her communications setup. _Maybe I can rest when I'm dead_, she thought morbidly. 'What does he want now,' she muttered at the identity of the messenger. Not even on board for ten minutes and he's already demanding concessions. 'Yes?' she answered tiredly not even bothering with the honorifics of his birth.

_'Señora, I am in need of a translator. I am under the impression that the liaison is fluent?'_

_You never bothered to find out where Soblet was, and also that Adama kicked him off,_ she mused before answering. 'The former liaison is still with them. She's fairly fluent,'

_'Not good enough, Señora. I need the current liaison.'_

'Well, you'll have to go to the brig to talk to him. Admiral Adama had him arrested and then removed after finding him committing espionage. If they find out that you had him reinstated, it will not go over well.'

_'Señora, you do not understand. He is the official liaison and I intend to make use of his services._'

_Damn_. 'All right, Your Highness. I will have someone escort you to the brig.' _Neither Adama nor Roslin will like this._

* * *

Gaeta shook his head sadly at what the detector was telling him. If only Baltar had come clean at the beginning he would not be in his current situation. He tore the paper off the printer and looked at it for a moment. Now that he knew that the detector worked, he knew he needed to see how he could cut the processing time down. Twelve hours was just too long for any kind of test.

Getting up, he rubbed his bruise gently before heading out. Almost all of the crew he had been passing to a fault would give him a grin. He knew the reason why. They assumed he had gotten it from Angela. The whole thing amused him greatly. He knew of the rumors, but he paid them no mind. He worked hard to keep his personal life completely separate from his job. The hard part was that she was involved with his public life as much as she was with him personally. The only way to keep it to rumors was to have their private involvement as discreet as possible. It helped that the marines would do anything for her, including preserving their privacy.

Not quite sure where Adama was, he decided to swing by CIC. It was late in his shift and it had been a while since he had checked on how things were in the nerve center of the battlestar. His eyes widened in surprise to find Adama standing there and looking up to the DRADIS screens. He was talking to someone over the comm. at the moment.

"I understand that Captain, but I do not want him on my ship ever again," Adama said while lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. "I would prefer to have either Lieutenant Glennan or my own executive officer, Major Gaeta, be the translator than Soblet. . ." Bill looked around a moment then settled his eyes on Gaeta. "Hold," he commented then turned back to Gaeta while placing his hand over the receiver. "How good is your English?"

"Better once. . .Glennan commented that learning it is like learning new computer code." Gaeta let a fleeting smile cross his face before letting it disappear.

"Are you good enough to be a translator?"

"I don't know, sir. I've never done that before."

"Doesn't matter. When the ambassador is here, I want you to make sure of the translation."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta nodded. Looking down, he pulled out the printout he made earlier. "Sir," he said as he handed it over. "You were wanting this."

Adama nodded while turning his attention back to the comm. "Captain, I will have either Lieutenant Glennan or Major Gaeta there during the discussions to make sure that the ambassador is not lying." When he was finished, he lowered the comm. down while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Sir?"

"The ambassador has requested the translation services of Soblet. That is why I want either you or Glennan there," he answered while putting the comm. back in place.

"Yes, sir. I'll start studying the language more on my off time."

"So," Bill said after glancing over the printout Gaeta had given him, "It works?"

"Yes, sir. It works. I also want to look at the programming to see if I can cut down the processing time."

"Good. I want you to go by Life Station and have Dr. Cottle test both Valerii and Agathorn with Jankowitz's scanner. If the reports come out the same then we've developed two ways to check for Cylons."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta nodded. "I'll get right on it," he finished while bringing himself to attention. When Adama nodded at him, he turned and left the CIC. He stepped inside Life Station several minutes later. Over in the corner Sharon was standing above the incubator where her daughter was sleeping. The Cylon had its hand on the clear plastic, a look of awe was clearly showing on her face. The Terran doctor was with her while doing the basic medical checks premature newborns regularly went through. She asked the Terran something, but he was too far away to be able to hear her voice clearly. Jankowitz's answer was easily discernible. He shook his head.

Dragging his attention from the scene, Gaeta turned to look for Cottle. Moving over to the CMO's office, he knocked on the closed door.

"It's open," came the muffled answer.

"Sir," Gaeta said as he opened the door. "I was wanting to see if the Terran doctor would let me use his scanner?"

"For the Cylons?" Cottle answered while picking up a file. Beside him, a tendril of smoke rose from the lit cigarette balanced on the side of his ashtray.

"Yes, sir. Baltar's Cylon Detector does work. Or at least I think it does. It marked Valerii as a Cylon and Agathorn as human. I want to make sure that the results are correct and not a fluke."

Cottle sat back while sizing up the younger officer. "Jankowitz!" he suddenly bellowed.

Several minutes later the Terran doctor showed up just on the outside of the small office. "What is it this time?" he asked somewhat bored.

Gaeta's eyes danced for a moment in amusement at the Terran's comment while Cottle answered, "Major Gaeta here has a request."

"Admiral Adama," Gaeta started, "Mentioned to me that your scanner can detect certain biological agents not normally found in humans."

"Oh, the cylon stuff?" Jankowitz asked as he pulled out his pda.

"Yes. I need for you to scan, or test, two people for me."

"Sure. Who do you have in mind?" Jankowitz seemed somewhat more interested in Gaeta's request.

"Valerii and Agathorn."

"She's positive and he's negative," the Terran answered offhandedly.

Gaeta's eyes widened in surprise as he did a double take. "Is that it?"

Jankowitz shrugged his shoulders, "No. It's more complicated than that. But in essence, yes."

Felix closed his eyes for a moment, desperately trying to think of something else to say. "Do you know anything about computers?"

"Not hardly," the Terran answered. "That is unless it deals with medical tests."

"If I showed you the program that we have for detecting cylons, would you be able to see what can be done to refine it?"

"A test is a test, plus I know what to look for," he answered offhandedly as he turned to head back into the large room.

"Not if it takes twelve frakkin' hours to complete," Gaeta grumbled. He looked up, expecting some comment from either doctors, but Jankowitz had already exited the room and Cottle had gone back to the report he had been working on.

"So, when do you want me to take a look at the detector?" the Terran asked while folding his arms once he had exited the cramped office.

"I'll let you know as soon as I get permission from the Admiral," Gaeta answered. Just as he was turning around Cottle commented from the door, "Not so fast Major. I want to take a look at that bruise."

Turning back around he found Cottle was pointing to one of the few free hospital beds. Sighing, he went over and lifted himself onto it.

"Where did you get it?" the CMO asked as he looked at it carefully.

"I was in the brig talking to Baltar," Felix answered. "I wanted to know why he had lied about Valerii's test results. I inadvertently stepped within the danger zone and he yanked me against the bars."

Cottle examined it for a few more minutes before stepping back. "I want you to be more careful next time."

_At least he didn't make any snide remarks or innuendoes_, Gaeta sighed in relief. "Yes, sir. I plan on it."

* * *

Laura stepped inside Bill's quarters and sighed in relief. In the short time she had started staying with him, she had come to see it as home.

"How did it go?" Bill asked from the couch.

"Need you ask?" she muttered as she kicked off her shoes. "You know how it always goes." She sighed as she put the folders on the table. "They demanded evidence."

Bill lowered the book he was reading and answered, "You have it, don't worry."

"Really?" Laura perked up slightly. _This was news._

"Yes, Gaeta recently finished testing Helo's blood sample. It came out negative."

Laura thought about what Bill had told her for a moment before letting her attention settle on the book he had. It was odd that it was a soft back book when most, if not all, in his personal library had hard backs. "What are you reading?" she asked as she moved over to the couch and sat down beside him.

Bill flipped the book over to look at its cover. "It was initially for the civilians that were going to visit the museum. Lieutenant Glennan asked about it several days ago."

"You're reading a book written for tourists?" she asked in mock surprise. "You must really be bored."

Bill looked at her over his glasses before turning his attention back to the book. "I wanted to see how much information it contained about the First Cylon War and the buildup to it."

"Can I see?" she asked as she reached over for it.

"Not yet, I haven't finished my examination of it," he answered with an amused look on his face.

"Oh really? It looks more like you're reading it."

"There's something else you need to know about," Adama said as he lowered the book. He paused as the amused look on her face faded.

"It doesn't sound good."

"Not really. The new Terran ships that arrived also brought the ambassador. Captain O'Neill relayed that he's demanding to use Soblet as the translator."

Laura's eyes narrowed, "Definitely not! I do not want that. . .person. . .back on board, especially after what he did."

"Neither do I," Bill answered. "I don't care how angry the ambassador will get, but I will refuse to have Soblet come back on board."

"What about Gaeta? How is he coming along?" Laura asked as she leaned up against him.

"I'm not sure. Glennan is farther along in the process. I want to have both of them there."

"Good idea," Laura mumbled as she snaked an arm around his back. Raising her head back up, she looked at the open book in Bill's lap. "So, is that book interesting?"

"Surprisingly enough, yes. And it doesn't talk down too much to the reader."

"That's nice to know, especially since I picked out the books that would be sold at the gift shop."

TBC...


	39. Chapter 39

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 39  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Thirty-nine_**

Gaeta stepped out of Baltar's lab completely exhausted. Jankowitz had been there for several hours helping him cut all the extraneous tests Baltar had added. There were so many unneeded commands that it forced the system down to a crawl. Of all the things he initially had run, only a fraction were needed. In fact, only three were needed. He had been right when he had commented to Adama that it should only take about fifteen minutes to run the test. It had taken more like an hour.

They had decided, however, that Jankowitz's reader would be the backup until they had something better.

Once the reprogramming was finished, he wanted to make sure that the detector was working. So, he put the Terran's blood through it. Within an hour they had their answer.

Gaeta still wasn't through with what needed to be done for the day. He had barely been in CIC except for a short time earlier. Then there was Angela. He wanted to see her, but he still had that scenario Adama had given him to work through. Moving through the corridors, he never bothered to see if he was being followed. Truth was, he didn't really care at this moment, he was just too tired. Plus most, if not all, on board knew of his personal relationship with Glennan. And since she had more room, it was just easier to head down to Security.

Once there, he couldn't help but notice that the door was closed. He knocked on it and waited a few minutes before opening it. Most of the lighting for the room had been switched off. What light there was came from runners around the corners of the room and also from her cabin. Taking a step in that direction he could hear muffled voices and music coming from the other room.

"It take you long enough," Angela commented when he took a step inside the cabin.

"And I'm still not done," he muttered. "I need to use your desk."

Glennan nodded offhandedly while she turned her attention back to her computer and the video she was watching.

Gaeta watched her for a few moments before closing the door and almost feeling his way across the office to the desk. For a moment, he fumbled with the light, then squinted at the sudden brightness. Oddly enough, he found it easier to concentrate in her office than in his somewhat cramped quarters. Pulling out the folded paper, he read through the scenario once again as he smoothed out the creases. Reaching forward, he appropriated one of her pens to use. He had read it earlier and had tried to think about it, but his duties kept interfering with trying to figure out what he would do.

For a few moments, he sat there before he began to write. He had no idea how detailed Adama wanted him to be, so he decided to err on giving more information than was hopefully needed.

He was there for some time when felt Angela's hands on his shoulders. "Finished?" she asked in a whisper while breathing into his ear.

"Admiral Adama wants us both to act as translators once the Ambassador comes," he answered with a slight smile, though trying to keep his attention on the sheet. Setting the pen down, he swiveled the chair around so he was facing her.

"I know," she answered with an amused look on her face. Her smile turned into a frown before continuing, 'I might have to give up the transceiver.' After a moment her grin returned. 'It does sound like you need some intensive. . .personal. . .lessons.'

"Something like that," he grinned as he pulled her down towards him. Just as the kiss was deepening, he pushed himself to his feet. Releasing her, he fumbled again with the lamp while turning it off. The room was immediately cast in deep shadows only broken by the light spilling in from her cabin. Gaeta had found out early on that she liked to take the dominant position a good portion of the time. That was something he did not mind at all. They soon stumbled into her cabin. Glancing over to the computer screen, he couldn't tell if the video was over, or just paused.

'Finish?' he asked as his hands started roaming.

"For now. Video ended," she answered breathlessly as he continued to push her towards her rack. Compared to the other times, and not taking into consideration the first time they were together, it was fast and furious.

Some time later she nestled against him while letting her fingers lazily trace his tattoo. 'Why this?'

"I was drunk," he muttered letting his fingers intertwined with hers as he rolled over on top of her once more. "This is a fun way to learn English," he muttered into her ear. Maneuvering her hands around, she pushed him away, forcing space between them. 'I've got an idea for that if you're willing,' she answered while letting a hand run through his short hair.

'How?' he asked as he rolled over again.

'Watch a movie,' she indicated her computer. 'In English with no subtitles,' she finished.

Gaeta thought about it for a bit before finally nodding. 'Okay.' "What do you have?" he asked.

Angela shrugged her shoulders as she sat up, 'Mostly early military movies from a couple of centuries ago.' Crawling across the rack, she moved quickly to the computer and gathered several chips then brought everything over to the rack. 'Most focus around the Second World War.'

Gaeta's eyes widened the moment he understood what she said. "Planetary war?"

'Sad, isn't it? We fought ourselves for thousands of years over petty differences. It was the Martocks that really pulled us together and showed us that we needed to settled our differences once and for all or there would be nothing left to fight over.'

"Did it work?" _This is almost as bad as the Colonies during the early years after the end of the First Cylon War_, he thought.

'Only when we were at war. Once peace was settled, the petty differences and squabbles started showing back up once again. You would think we'd learn from our mistakes, but it's not happening.'

Gaeta looked at her for a moment. How could he answer that? Somehow, he felt like the Colonies were in a better position than Terra was, which bothered him greatly. If the Cylons managed to capitalize on the Terran dissension then they'd all be seriously frakked up.

'But don't do anything that will band us together. The Martoks found that out real fast.'

Gaeta contemplated her answer while she set the computer up to play another movie. He had no idea what she had with her, so he sat back. "Why were you taking notes during the other video?" he finally asked. He had wondered why since last week.

'I'm researching how the entertainment industry has portrayed the military for the past few centuries. I get to watch movies for research,' she smiled as she sat back. 'Of all the wars that were fought, the World War II needed to happen, which is ironic.'

"Is something wrong with the color?" Felix asked once it started up.

'No,' she shook her head. 'It was filmed this way.'

* * *

Starbuck sat on a bench in the gym while strapping on her boxing gloves. With the arrival of the Terrans and other issues she found herself either wanting to beat the crap out of someone, or have a hard frack. Either way, she knew it would relieve the tension she had been going through for the past week or so. Her smile turned feral when she saw Gaeta walk into the gym. He used to have a set time set aside for his daily workout. But with his new position of XO, he didn't have that luxury anymore. Then again, if scuttlebutt was true, he didn't need to come here for a good workout.

The gym was too small for Glennan's classes for the marines, so she had appropriated some of the empty barracks down near security. It was common knowledge that if you wanted to come, she would accept any and all that wanted to learn a few new moves.

_Is that a bruise?_ Kara's smile widened when he pulled off his sweatshirt. There were also bruises on his arms, right about in the area where. . . Starbuck got up from the bench and went across the room. "I figured she played rough," she commented nonchalantly with a slight grin on her face.

Gaeta sighed. The rumor just would not die. "I told you before, it's not what you think."

"Of course not."

"Thrace. Don't push it," he lowered his voice.

Smiling, she faced him and put her arms on his shoulders. "I'm not," she leaned in close.

He took a quick step back and forced her arms off his shoulders. "What do you want?" he asked tiredly.

"How about a match?" she asked brightly as she hit her gloved hands together.

_This is foolishness, especially at the beginning of the day._ "Why?"

"Don't you want to beat the crap out of someone?" Her tone came across more like allowing, if he wanted, to beat the crap out of her and not get in trouble at the same time.

Gaeta knew how fast she was and had seen her and the punishing blows she routinely gave the punching bag. If he accepted her challenge, then people will see that the rumors were true. "Maybe I don't want to," he finally answered.

Kara let a wicked grin cross her face as she put her arms back around his neck, "No fun?" Just as she began to press closer, he tripped her up, making her land on her backside. Jumping up, she started to hit him when he backed away.

"Don't even think about it, Thrace," he said softly, but in a command tone. He knew she wasn't listening to him, her face easily showed that. Before she could do anything else, he grabbed both wrists. "What is wrong with you?" he hissed.

"What's wrong with me?" she hissed back. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. This whole frakkin' ship is what's wrong with me! There's nothing! And now everyone is whispering about you and your recent _conquest_!"

"It's _over_. In fact, there was never anything there to begin with. You know that," he growled. "You are also in dangerous territory, _Captain_." Gaeta then leaned down to make his point, "Starbuck, you're out to prove something, and I will not be your punching bag." He moved back to the bench and muttered while gathering his things, "Frack this, I'll get a more peaceful workout with the marines."

Once Gaeta had left she turned her attention to one of the marines that had seen everything and almost yelled, "What are you looking at!?"

"Nothing, ma'am," he answered smartly then became very interested in the weights he was working with. The others had also suddenly busied themselves, trying to stay away from her wrath.

Gaeta stormed through the corridors, not really caring where he ended up or who saw him. He eventually found himself pulling the door open to his cabin. Once it was closed he threw the balled up towel into a corner in a rare fit of anger.

He knew if he told Angela about it, she'd probably beat Kara up for her insolence. Problem with that was that it would only solidify the pilot's thoughts on what was really going on. No, he had to deal with his anger in a different way. So he decided to run. It had been a few weeks since he had been able to have a good workout that way, he realized he needed to cut his normal distance down by a third to 10K.

Running, he had found early on, was cathartic, and a good way for him to deal with issues that were bothering him. It was just him and the corridors. Once he was changed, he went to his favorite areas and started his long run. The reason why he favored this area was because of the few people that accessed it on a regular basis. He could use the outer corridors, but he would have to remember to warn people to move out of the way or be run down.

Ten minutes into his thirty minute run, he felt he was calmed down enough to think about what Kara had commented about. Gaeta knew it was common knowledge about his strengthening relationship with Glennan, but he had never expected her to deal with it in the fashion. Admittedly, he didn't react properly. That was his problem to deal with. But she hadn't had to do what she had done. His personal relationship was his own, and no one else's. That was why he kept it as discreet as possible.

Taking his last turn he was surprised to find Angela leading the marines in a formal run at a decent clip. Once he passed them, he turned and jogged backwards, watching the newest marines at the tail end already struggling to keep up with the rest of the group. Mentally shrugging, he turned back around and sped up to his normal speed and finished the workout.

Exiting the corridors, he found himself relaxed and ready to deal with whatever Starbuck chose to throw in his direction. The long run had done wonders for his disposition. He knew he'd feel like he was bouncing off the walls once he was cleaned up. All this running gave him an incredible boost of energy that would easily last him for the rest of the day.

* * *

'Ma'am, we're getting a message from _HMCS Grapple_. Her captain wishes to speak with you.' Harris turned towards O'Neill who was standing near the back of the semi-large command center. 'We're also getting a message from the _Galactica_.'

'Tell the _Grapple_, I will be with them momentarily. How are the Colonials sending their message?'

'ECM.'

_I was right_. 'What are they wanting?'

'Admiral Adama wants to know the intentions of the new ship, ma'am. I assume it is the _Grapple_, he's concerned about.'

'Put him through,' she sighed. "Admiral?"

_"I want to know the intentions of the newest Terran ship to arrive. . ."_ He didn't say it outright, but she could tell he was starting to get worried at all the ships clustered around the buoy.

"She won't be here for very long. She will be towing the _Medusa_ back for repairs." A fleeting smile crossed her face. She knew the _Titan_ with her two escorts would stay to replace the destroyer. "She's lost the ability to form the FTL bubble by herself. Admiralty doesn't want to take any chances, so she's being towed back for repairs. The _Titan_ will stay and take her place." Disconnecting the line, she then opened a channel for the _Grapple_. 'What can I do for you, Captain?'

_'There sure are a lot of ships here, ma'am.'_

Mair looked over to the screen and let a smile cross her face. 'That there is.' She paused before continuing, 'I have the crew from the _Katana_ on board. They need to head back and be reassigned.'

_'How many?'_

'Maybe about half. It wasn't a pretty sight. She had to be scuttled.'

_'Right. If you can have them transfered over to the Grapple, we will take care of the rest.'_

'Wilco,' she answered. 'Harris have the _Katana_'s crew report to the hanger deck. They're going home.'

'Yes, ma'am,' he answered with a grin.

_Now, how to deal with Garcia_. 'Harris, I want you to contact Admiral Adama again, but through the transceiver. I want to talk to him.'

'Where will you be, ma'am?' he asked as she slowly moved towards the lift.

'My cabin. I'd appreciate it if you can pipe it down there.' Once she was in her cabin, she sat heavily in the chair with a groan. _This was not working_. 'Harris, is Adama on the line?' she asked as she opened the channel.

_'Yes, ma'am.'_

"Admiral Adama. There's a reason why I'm contacting you this way," she started slowly.

_"Which is?"_ he asked warily.

"It, it concerns the Ambassador. His name is Juan Alfonso Bourbon y Garcia. He is a member of the Spanish Royal Family. His uncle is the King of Spain. I'm warning you because President Roslin is an attractive woman. Although I think she has enough discernment to see what he will attempt to do, I wanted to warn you in advance." _Plus, I don't think you will be that pleased with how he will try and put a wedge between the two of you._

_"Thank you in advance, Captain."_

"No problem, Admiral," she answered with a smile in her voice. _You've hid it well, but I can tell you care for President Roslin more than you let on._

TBC...


	40. Chapter 40

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 40  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty_**

Mair looked at the darkened comm. unit, contemplating her next moves. There were too many things to do, and neither enough time to accomplish them nor enough strength on her part. Her earlier comment about when she could rest was beginning to look all too true.

The sad thing was that with all the scans and pokes and prods that the doctors have done on her, the reports still showed that nothing was wrong with her. That was the thing with Fibromyalgia. Even with all the technological advances in the past three centuries, along with the complete mapping of the human genome, doctors still had not been able to figure out the reason for the disorder.

At least Ferguson and Spencer seemed eager for their pending trip to the Colonial Flag ship. Just in case, she made sure that Lieutenant Glennan received a encryption module. No telling what Garcia had up his sleeve. She was not pleased by his request for Soblet, but there was little she could do. Mair had to defer to the high ranked diplomat. At least the majority of the ships under her command were either neutral towards her, or supported her views. It helped that most were either in the UK, USA, or the other allied nations. Franchetti was definitely outnumbered, and he knew it. She could feel the grumblings coming from his direction, but he was careful enough to not vocalize it.

The door chime seemed to shake her out of her reverie. For a moment, she looked around, before she realized what it was. 'Door is open,' she said through the small microphone. It opened, revealing Garcia on the other side. Her eyes darkened momentarily before stuffing it down. He was the official ambassador, and she could do nothing about it. Plus, she had to defer to him if his requests were within reason.

'Señora,' he bowed as he entered.

_Oh, you're good._ 'What can I do for you, Your Highness?' she asked while not trying to sound like she did not approve of him.

'I spoke with Señor Soblet. He is very regretful for his actions while with our visitors, and that it was all a misunderstanding.'

'Garcia, Captain Soblet was found in an unauthorized area while taking pictures of Colonial military hardware. Admiral Adama was not pleased at all. I'm surprised he even trusts us after this debacle.' _The only reason they haven't left is because of Glennan._ 'All the hard work Lieutenant Glennan did to instill some sort of working trust was almost ruined because of Soblet's actions. And now you want him as your translator?'

'He knows their language.'

'So does Lieutenant Glennan, and she's been with them for two weeks.'

Garcia shook his head, 'But she is not fluent. I need someone that is fluent.'

Mair sat back, somewhat amused at his last statement. 'You do know, I'm fluent.'

Garcia's eyes widened in surprise. 'I did not know, Señora! The problem with that is that you are required to stay here.'

_Damn_. 'Then at least be courteous to our visitors. They have been through a whole lot. If they have someone that's competent in translation capabilities, I hope you would graciously accept their offer.'

Garcia nodded thoughtfully. 'I will keep that in mind, Señora.'

'That's all I ask,' Mair answered while turning her attention back to the monitor attached to her desk.

'If you can send word, I would like to shuttle over today.'

Mair looked up, surprised at his request. 'You will be invited, and allowed to go over only at their discretion. Remember, they are highly distrustful of us right now. Don't expect them to let Captain Soblet set foot outside their hanger deck unless they know for certain he will not create any type of diplomatic incident.'

'Of course, Señora,' Garcia answered with a smile. Once he was out, she opened up her email program and sent a message to Glennan requesting that she tell Adama about Garcia's request to meet with both the Colonial Admiral and President.

* * *

"So you're saying that you believe Baltar has become completely insane?" Jankowitz asked. The Terran doctor wasn't fully sure who this person was, but he had an idea that he had at one time been an important person within the Colonial society.

"Yes, Doctor." Gaeta nodded. "I talked to him a couple of days ago. He was babbling incoherently while pacing inside his cell."

"He's been babbling and doing strange things since the Holocaust," Cottle grumbled as they entered the brig. Starbuck stood somewhat behind the group as they moved towards Baltar's cell.

"Soldier, how long has he been like this?" Cottle asked when he looked through the bars at an apparently sleeping Baltar.

"He laid down soon after breakfast, sir."

"Psychosis?" Jankowitz asked.

Cottle shook his head as he indicated that he wanted the door opened. Backing away, he let Starbuck unlock it and pull it open. She was the first to enter, followed by the two doctors, and then Gaeta.

Coming around the side, Gaeta commented, "Dr. Baltar?" The scientists seemed to be zoned out of everything. Taking another step, Baltar turned and launched off the bed towards him. In surprise, the XO managed to sidestep the now obviously insane doctor. Before Baltar could turn around, Kara grabbed an arm and attempted to restrain him while Cottle pulled out the sedative had brought with him.

As they backed up, Baltar managed to wrench himself free from Gaeta's grip and swung his fist around, giving Kara what would become a nasty black eye. His arm then swung back around and connected with Gaeta's face, throwing him against the cell wall. Before it could get any worse, the marines managed to insert themselves into the situation to diffuse it.

"Hold him," Cottle ordered as he came up behind the vice president. Standing just close enough, he quickly gave him the sedative and backed away. Once the marines had a strong enough grip on the vice president, Kara was able to back away and move over to the Terran doctor who was checking out Gaeta.

"He needs to be in a straight jacket," Jankowitz commented.

"You're not talking about him are you?" Kara asked as she looked worriedly at the higher ranked officer. This was not what she had been counting on happening.

"No," Jankowitz shook his head as he checked Gaeta's pupil's dilation. "Help me get him out of here, I'm not sure how badly he's injured," he said as he reached under the XO's shoulders. Glancing around, he caught sight of Cottle and nodded towards Thrace as they slowly picked him up to get him out of Baltar's cell.

Once they were out, Cottle picked up the comm. and called for the medics to bring a stretcher with them. Gaeta was still unconscious.

"Hold him until he calms down," Starbuck ordered the marines. She was beyond pissed at the whole episode. Taking a deep breath, she came over to the two doctors. "How is he?" she asked quietly.

"Won't know for sure until we get him to Life Station," Cottle commented.

"Frak," she hissed. She turned around and saw the marines leaving the cell. Baltar was sitting on the cot and rocking back and forth while mumbling. "You know, it's your frakkin' fault if Gaeta can't return to duty!" she yelled at him through the bars.

"Lieutenant, It's not going to work with him," Jankowitz commented while cradling Gaeta's head in his lap.

The pilot whirled around and glared at the doctor for a moment before taking another deep breath. "What do you mean?"

Jankowitz looked at Cottle before easing out from supporting the incapacitated XO. "Because he's showing classic signs of a complete psychotic break." Getting to his feet he came over to the pacing pilot, "You're going to need that bruise checked out."

Kara rubbed her eye gently. "Yeah, I will." She turned her attention to the medics that had just arrived. They had already placed him on the stretcher and was strapping him down for his trip to Life Station. Just as the medics were leaving, Cottle turned back to the two remaining officers, "Make sure Jankowitz gets back to Life Station. I don't want him lost and wandering around in this area."

"Yes, sir," Kara grinned while doing a quick salute. When the group left, a serious look that bordered on concern crossed her face.

"Lets get you to sickbay so I can make sure that bruise won't be as bad as it will look in a day or so," Jankowitz walked towards the door while waiving at her with his hand.

_Sickbay? What an odd term._

By the time they reached Life Station, Gaeta had already been taken into the room where they could scan his brain to make sure nothing was seriously wrong with him. He had not woken up yet and it was beginning to bother Cottle and the other personnel working with him. Once the scans were complete, the CMO walked out and reached for his cigarettes. He tapped the pack, withdrew one, and proceeded to light it.

"Doctor?"

Cottle turned and watched Adama as he crossed the room. "How is he?"

"Well, he's not dead. Scans show he's got some swelling from the impact. Other than that I won't know how serious it is until he decides to wake."

"I want to know the moment he wakes up." Adama's gaze bore into the doctor, making sure he got his point across.

"I'm sure you'll be told once he does," Cottle answered, cheerfully insubordinate.

Adama eventually closed his eyes while shaking his head. He knew Cottle was right. He would be notified when Gaeta woke up. "I want to see Lieutenant Thrace in my office." Seeing he wasn't going to get any more information from Cottle, Adama left Life Station.

* * *

Kara stood outside of Adama's quarters. She was not looking forward to having to tell him what had happened. She had been in charge of their security, and because of her lax attitude on the matter, Gaeta had been injured. For another moment she hesitated then finally took the steps down into the open cabin. Normally the door would be open if he were not there, but this time it was different. "Sir?"

Adama was sitting at the table. There were several open folders within reach. "Do you mind telling me what happened?" he asked as he looked over the top of his glasses.

She knew she had fracked it up big time, and Gaeta had been injured because of it. Looking back, she could see now that he should never have been allowed near Baltar's cell, but she had ignored it. "Sir, I, I didn't think. . ."

"That's right, you weren't thinking at all. It was your responsibility to make sure nothing happened, yet you let the executive officer enter into a dangerous situation. The marines are there to guard, not to have to clean up the mess you created."

"Sir, I was hit also," her eyes started tearing up.

"I know, and I am grounding you until that heals and you realize that there are consequences to your actions. I've given you a lot of slack over the years. With what's going on now, I'm not in any position to do that anymore. Plus, you are the CAG and you are expected to act with that level of maturity. Dismissed." Adama turned his attention back to the open folder in front of him. Once she was gone, he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had not wanted to do that, but it had to be done. Her actions were beginning to cause fractures among the crew. That was something he could not afford, especially with the trial fast approaching.

* * *

Sighing, she wiped her face, being careful around her bruised eye. Now she had to talk to Glennan. This was something she didn't want Glennan to find out about from the marines, because they would tell her, no questions asked. Straightening her shoulders, she moved in the direction of security.

Just as she turned the last corner, Glennan came bolting out of her office and almost ran down the larger pilot. "Glennan!" Kara held out her arms to try and stop the smaller woman.

Angela skidded to a halt. 'Let me through.'

Kara blinked in surprise, not quite sure what the Terran had said, but she looked angry enough to order her out of the way. "I was there."

The anger on Glennan's face seemed to melt away, leaving behind a very worried woman whose man had been hurt. "There, there was some trouble. . .it doesn't look bad. . .but."

"But what?"

Kara sighed, she knew it was her fault and realized she had to own up for her mistakes. "He's still unconscious. Dr. Cottle is waiting for him to wake up before he can make a diagnoses."

'Okay,' Glennan nodded while slipping her hand in her pocket. When it came out Kara noticed that it was a necklace of beads along with a nice looking watch. Separating the two, she stuffed the watch back in her pocket than began to finger the odd looking necklace. Squashing her curiosity on what it could be, Kara turned and started heading back to Life Station.

The rest of the journey back was relatively quiet. Word was out among the crew that the XO had been injured, but no one seemed to know why or how it had happened. Once they had reached the general area, Kara nodded and headed back to the Pilot's ready room. She had to completely change the flight schedules around since she was now grounded for who knows how long. Looking at the board, she felt a tear fall onto her cheek. Angrily, she wiped it off her face then started clearing the board.

Angela hesitated as she set foot inside the Life Station. The department seemed the same as the last time she was there, except for one thing. Somehow Felix had been injured. What she had been able to glean from the marines is that he had gotten into some sort of altercation and that Starbuck had been involved. Either that or they had gotten into an argument over some petty issue and Kara hadn't let it go. The second option seemed the most logical since she could see the developing black eye that Felix must have given her.

Looking around the large room, she didn't see Felix anywhere.

'Lieutenant?' Jankowitz called as he stepped out of one of the cordoned off areas.

Glennan looked around for the owner of the voice. 'Doctor, what happened?' she asked as the Terran came up to her.

'Did Lieutenant Thrace tell you?'

'Only that there was some sort of trouble. Will he be all right? What happened?'

Jankowitz smiled at the questions she hurled in his direction. 'Yes, he should make a complete recovery. We had gone to check to see if Baltar was competent enough to stand trial. With what happened, I don't see how he could be. He was the one that threw the Major up against the wall. Dr. Cottle is waiting for him to wake up so he can make an official diagnosis.'

Angela squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. 'C-can I see him, please?'

'Of course you can,' Jankowitz answered gently as he guided her over to the area he had recently come from.

* * *

Bill looked at the reports before him. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. He felt like he was being overwhelmed humanity's petty problems. At least Gaeta looked as though he would make a full recovery. That was another thing. Lower ranked officers, even with as few members of the military that were left, were somewhat more expendable than higher ranked officers. And with him being his executive officer, he needed to realize that he was important now.

"Bill?" Laura asked as she walked through the door. She was exhausted from the sudden overload of work along with making sure everything was set up and running once again. Then, there was the trip to the starboard flight pod where _Colonial One_ was permanently docked. Stopping at the table, she dropped the stack of folders on it, then sat down beside him. "I heard something about Gaeta being hurt?"

"Yes." Bill nodded.

"Baltar?"

"Yes. I want the upcoming trial started as soon as possible." He watched as she got to her feet and started pacing.

"Good, the faster the better," she grumbled. "I also don't want to have to deal with the ambassador until after this mess gets resolved."

TBC...


	41. Chapter 41

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 41  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-one_**

"Bill, how does this work?" Laura eyed the transceiver behind his desk.

Adama looked over the top of the report he was reading. "The instructions are on the desk."

"This?" Laura picked up a crinkled piece of paper with scribbled writing on one side. She mumbled the cryptic words on the sheet while letting a confused look cross her face.

"Shesh," Bill muttered as he put the folder down and got up. "Any reason why you want to know how it works?" he asked as he came up behind her. He gently grasped her arms and moved her to the side so he could reach the piece of electronic equipment.

"I want to talk to Captain O'Neill and tell her my decision concerning the ambassador." She stopped when he turned and looked at her for a moment in curiosity. "I already told you. I don't want to have to deal with him or her until after the trial."

"Him."

"What?"

"The ambassador is a man." Turning around he grasped her arms gently. "When you meet with him, be careful."

Laura looked truly confused for a moment. "I don't understand. I'm always careful."

"Laura." Bill sighed, "Just be careful." _I don't want to lose you._

"Bill," she smiled sweetly when she realized what he was trying to tell her, "Don't worry about that." She leaned in just close enough for their lips to brush lightly together. "I won't let him get away with that," she whispered.

Taking a step back, she looked to the transceiver. "Is it on?"

"Yes. All you have to do is press the blinking light and then speak normally." Giving her a small smile he gave her a nod then went back to the report.

Laura looked at him skeptically for a moment before turning her attention back to the transceiver. Reaching over she dutifully pushed the right button.

_'This is the _Goch. _Reading you loud and clear Admiral.'_

Laura's eyes widened. She had no idea what had just been said. Not knowing the Terran protocol, she decided to be straightforward, "This is President Roslin. I need to speak with Captain O'Neill."

_"Copy,"_ a heavily accented voice answered. _"Please wait while we transfer you over."_

Less than a minute later, Mair answered, "_President Roslin, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?"_

"Captain, this concerns the ambassador. I am unable to formally meet with him at the present time. I will send word when the best time would be to meet with him."

The line was silent for a minute, "_Is this something that needs to be dealt with right now? And do you need help with whatever it is putting the meeting on hold, ma'am?"_

"No, no. We're fine. It's just that it's a very awkward time for the meeting," Laura sidestepped the question neatly.

_"All right, I will let the ambassador know of the change in plans. How long do you suspect whatever it is will take?"_

Roslin looked sharply at the transceiver. "I'm not sure about that at the moment," she answered warily.

_"I understand, Madam President. Issues can and do come up all the time. Let me know when you are ready and I can have him shuttled over,"_ Mair answered with a smile in her voice.

"Thank you, Captain," Laura answered with a slight smile of her own.

_"Madam President, yes, you are in Terran territory, but your fleet is not part of Terra. You are a sovereign nation with your own laws and customs. I am here to make sure that everything happens the way its supposed to go, within reason."_

"I thank you for that, Captain." Laura looked back over to the couch once the line was disconnected. "That was easier than I expected," she said softly as she moved back over towards Bill. She stopped suddenly and looked thoughtfully at the transceiver. "Bill?"

The senior Colonial officer looked over the report once again and glanced over to Laura. "Yes?"

"The Terrans," she indicated the transceiver. "Actually Captain O'Neill. She seemed very guarded."

"What are your reasons?" he queried.

Laura paused then moved back over to where she had been sitting earlier. "I'm not sure. But I think they're here not to just make sure that we're all right. I think she might be assessing my military." She looked at Bill a moment before continuing, "I don't like being at their mercy."

"Laura, we can leave at any time. Captain O'Neill is not stopping us," he answered while trying to calm her anxiety. "And yes, they are making sure that we don't attack them without reason."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No. if our positions were reversed, I would do the same thing she is doing."

oOo

Mair looked at the monitor for a time. She knew something was going on within the fleet. Their wireless communications said plenty enough. All they were talking about was a person and also the prospect of a trial for treason. Treason was a pretty hefty charge to put on anyone. Opening up her email program, she sent a message off to Glennan for her to watch and see how the Colonials justice system worked, and just who Baltar was. Some messages were calling him vice president, and others were calling him doctor.

Once that was finished, she sent word to Garcia telling him that she wanted to talk to him concerning the Colonials.

"So, Señora," Garcia said the moment he entered her office. "When does the shuttle leave?"

"I don't know, Your Highness." Mair shook her head. "There's a trial against someone who committed treason. President Roslin feels it would be best to hold off on meeting you until after it's been concluded."

"I'm not involved with the trial," he fumed.

"Listen, Ambassador. You will shuttle over when President Roslin lets you. From what I've learned, she has had a lot to deal with and overcome. Give them respect, for they are a culture and society completely separate from Terra. When she is ready, she will invite you, not before."

Mair took a deep breath after Garcia left. The ambassador did not like to be put on hold indefinitely, but he just didn't seem to understand that it was President Roslin's decision on when he could come over.

The comm. ping jarred her out of her thoughts. Reaching over, she opened the line, 'O'Neill here.'

_'Skipper, we've been piggybacked onto some odd messages.'_

'What is it, Jack?' she asked, her interest peaked.

_'There are some vague reports about a few skirmishes near the frontier. No one seems to know what's going on.'_

_Very odd._ 'Thank you. I want you to keep me apprised if anything concrete shows up. We might be pulled from the buoy to take a look-see.'

_'Wilco.'_

* * *

Less than three hours later Laura set foot on the ship that had been appropriated for the trial. The person they asked to be judge had been a retired court justice when the Holocaust had happened. He was the only one that had working knowledge of the law. Bill only had secondary knowledge from his father. Plus, it would seem that they were both out to get Baltar removed one way or another. Asking Harold Martin was much better politically, especially since the President that had originally appointed him was of a completely different party than she was.

No one followed her out of the raptor, she had traveled alone. Bill had thought it best that he stay on the _Galactica_ during the trial and hopefully the installation of Zarek as the new vice president.

Everyone on board the luxury liner seemed to talk only about the trial set to start within the hour. Technically it wasn't a trial, it was simply a hearing into whether or not Baltar was competent enough to go on trial for the illegal removal of military hardware. That removal, and the fact that it had found its way into the hands of a known Cylon he was known to have an association with, was enough to have him charged with treason.

For a moment Laura, debated on whether or not to be present at the trial. It might be too distracting for the people there, plus, she didn't want to see too eager to have him removed. If she did attend, it could also mean that she supported the eccentric scientist. She knew she was in a quandary.

"Madam President?" Billy came down the corridor quickly. "Ma'am, the Quorum is waiting for you."

Laura took one last look at the door leading into the court chambers before following her young aide down to the quorum chambers. "Will we be notified of the ruling once the hearing is over?"

"It's better than that, ma'am. There's a video feed set up so the Quorum can watch the proceedings," Billy smiled.

Laura smiled as she followed him down into the legislative chambers. The only ones currently there were the other members. The media had abandoned them for the more interesting trial taking place just a few rooms away. The twelve members had gathered around a monitor watching with interest.

The trial, or hearing, went according to plan. The media was surprised when it was a Terran doctor that gave the assessment of mental stability and testified how the vice president, with at least five witnesses, had managed to escape and knock the executive officer of the _Galactica_ unconscious. The officer in question was in Life Station and had not awakened yet. His injuries didn't seem life threatening, but just the thought that he had somehow injured a high ranking officer of the military, and then his actions following the incident, was enough for Martin to make his ruling. _"From what evidence I have seen, and the testimony given from several officers and medical personnel. Vice President Gaius Baltar is not fit to stand trial."_

It took every bit of Laura's willpower not to show her relief from the ruling. "Well, it seems we have a vice president that might not be able to hold office anymore."

"That's what it looks like," Sara Porter sighed as she moved away from the monitor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats," Laura said as she moved towards her position. "You probably knew how Justice Martin was going to rule concerning Vice President Baltar. He has clearly shown that he is unfit for trial. If he cannot stand trial, he doesn't have the mental capacity to continue in the office of vice president. Agreed?" Laura looked around to see how each member answered. To a fault, they all nodded in agreement.

Laura turned around to look at Billy before continuing, "Billy, open the doors please."

"Yes, ma'am."

Once the doors opened, the civilian population gathered around in the areas allotted to view the legislative body while they worked. Eventually the media showed up and gathered in their area and waited expectantly about what was going to happen.

Laura started with the traditional words, "I call this meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve to order." Taking a deep breath she continued, "Per the ruling of Justice Martin, this meeting is called to order concerning Vice President Gaius Baltar and whether he should remain as vice president, or removed and have another member take his place. Voting will be closed."

The members nodded and quickly wrote down their choices. Once finished Billy came to each member and picked up the cards then handed them to Laura. For a moment she looked at the cards, then glanced up to the gallery surrounding the Quorum meeting room. Everyone seemed to lean forward in expectation, especially when she picked up the first of the twelve cards. "Remove."

As she turned over each card, the word, or wording was the same. All the members felt it best that Baltar not stay as vice president. Straightening the cards, Laura continued, "The Quorum has spoken. Vice President Gaius Baltar is summarily stripped of the office he was given. The privileges he enjoyed he will not have access to anymore." Even though it was muted, there was a burst of talking from the gallery above them. _That's done_. "We now need to have a new vice president appointed." _All of you already know who you want to appoint_, she thought. "The time for debating is past, and the time for voting is at hand." She could feel the surprise from gallery once again. It was different, but completely within reason for her to call the vote as soon as she had.

_In a surprising turn of events, Vice President Baltar was judged not to be competent to stand trial. Soon after, the Quorum met, with President Roslin at their head, and voted on whether or not Dr. Baltar was able to continue his job as Vice President. To a fault, all decided that he be impeached and removed from office. The stunning move, though, was the appointment of Councilor Thomas Zarek to the lofty position. If you remember back on the first Colonial Day after the Holocaust, President Roslin decided on Dr. Baltar to be her Vice President to keep Zarek from taking the position. This time, he easily garnered enough votes to be appointed. Apparently, President Roslin has had a recent change of heart concerning the new Vice President._

_On another note, following the accident that proved to Justice Martin, of Dr. Baltar's incompetency, the executive officer of the _Galactica _is stated to make a complete recovery barring any complications_--

Adama turned off the wireless. _It's done_. Picking up the comm. he asked if Cottle had made it back to the _Galactica_. He wanted to know Gaeta's status.

* * *

Angela looked at the curtains that gave her at least a minimum amount of privacy. Life Station did not have much in the way of private rooms. All they had was the ability to curtain off the beds. It was okay, but she still preferred to have a private room. She looked down to the rosary she held in her lap, her other hand was resting lightly on Felix's upper arm. If she stayed there any longer, she would make a complete transit of the rosary. That rarely happened with her, but there was nothing else she could really do except to pray for him.

After the brain scan, they wrapped his head up and then hooked him up to various IV's and electrical feeds to the different instruments to record his vitals. The readouts continued without any interruption. His heart and brainwaves were steady, which really pleased the doctors.

She had closed her eyes and started on the next section when a groan came from the bed. Angela's eyes flew open and she quickly stuffed the necklace back into her pocket while standing up. "Felix?" she asked. His blank expression had cringed into one of pain as he brought his hands up to clutch at his head. Reaching over, she grasped his wrists and gently pulled them away. "Felix. It is all right."

The moment she lessened her grip on his wrists, he brought his hands back up to his head. "Please," he groaned.

Not knowing what to do, she left the enclosed area and went to the first doctor she saw. "Dr. Cottle. Gaeta is live. . .uh. . .wake."

Cottle didn't say a word until he pushed the curtain aside, "It's about damn time you woke up." Gaeta was leaning over on his side with his mouth open. Not breaking a stride, he took the pan on the side table and helped Gaeta sit up then lean over. Felix soon threw-up what was left in his stomach into the bowl. "Gaeta?" Cottle asked softly not quite sure of the volume level the executive officer could tolerate at the current time.

"Sorry. . .Sleepy. . ." Gaeta mumbled as his eyes started drooping.

"You're not going to sleep just yet," Cottle answered him as he reached for a towel and cleaned him up. He then helped him sit back up. With his best command voice, but not too loudly, the medical officer barked, "Name and rank!"

"F-Felix Gaeta. Major," the younger officer mumbled as his eyes closed.

"Not yet, Major," Cottle tapped Gaeta's face. "Wake up."

"Wha --?" Gaeta's eyes opened all the way, but they were slightly glazed over.

"I want you to tell me who the president is."

"P-president?" Felix stumbled over the word as his eyelids started drooping shut again.

"Yes, the president. Who is the current president?"

"Roslin. I want to sleep," he mumbled.

"I know you do, Major." With surprising gentleness, Cottle eased Gaeta back down from his seated position so he was one again stretched out on his back. Felix's eyes closed almost immediately, and he was asleep within moments.

"How is he?" Angela asked as Cottle backed away from the bed.

"He's doing quite well. As long as he doesn't do any strenuous exercise or work he should make a complete recovery." Just as he was leaving the enclosed area he continued, "Someone will come by in a few hours to wake him up. Otherwise, it's best to let him sleep."

Angela sighed in relief as she stuck her hand back in her pocket. Pulling it out, she looked at the beaded necklace then tightened her fingeres around it before stuffing it back into her pocket. She let a slight smile cross her face as she took a step to the bed and stood there for a moment before taking another step. Once she was beside the bed, she placed a hand on his arm. Eventually, she took a step back and went back to her regularly scheduled duties. Inside, she still wanted to be there, but her duties took precedent over her growing personal feelings for the Colonial officer. She knew had been in sickbay long enough. It helped that she understood that the doctors on call would make sure he would make a complete recovery.

TBC...


	42. Chapter 42

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 42  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-two_**

It had been a week since the hearing, and all had been quiet. Adama moved down the corridor. So far he had been everywhere except CIC. Earlier that morning, Cottle had cleared Gaeta for full duty. The young officer had been chafing at the inactivity he had been forced into and eagerly gone straight to CIC from Life Station. That was several hours ago.

When Adama finally did make it to the command center he stood just inside the doorway to see the team in operation. Several long moments later he began to notice that something seemed off. Gaeta was there, but the rest of the watch seemed to be walking on eggshells around him.

One look at the younger officer, and he immediately knew the reason. Gaeta looked and was acting extremely irritable, and the crew had no idea how they were supposed to respond to this. He stayed just on the inside of the door leading to the lowest level, watching everything going on. Feeling he had seen enough, Adama strode towards the Commander's station while still keeping an eye on things. Gaeta had somehow managed to keep from saying something foolish once he realized once the admiral had arrived. Beneath the almost insolent attitude, he could see that the younger officer was mentally wiped out. Keeping his voice low he said, "Gaeta, get out of here. I don't want to see you here until your shift starts tomorrow."

Felix swallowed then finally nodded, "Yes, sir."

"I appreciate your dedication, but you're pushing it too far."

"But, sir, there's too much to do."

Adama's voice hardened slightly, "You're no help to me if you kill yourself doing all this after having a concussion." He looked around a moment before continuing, "Do I need to make this an order?"

"No, sir." Felix shook his head.

"Good. Now go and relax and get some rest."

Gaeta nodded, then slowly walked out of CIC. Looking around, Adama could feel the relief of the lower ranked officers wash over him once the younger officer was gone. He knew he had made the right decision. Though the position wasn't physically taxing, it was mentally taxing, and that's what had wiped Gaeta out. Picking up the handset, Adama punched a few buttons. "Lieutenant, make sure Major Gaeta rests." Not waiting for an answer, he put the cradle back in its place, then looked up to the extremely busy DRADIS screen. It had become much easier to get in contact with the former liaison ever since she had she had been shown how to operate the comm. systems.

Gaeta walked down the corridor. He was at a complete loss as to what to do. He hated being idle, it made him feel useless. Inside, he felt guilty for the sudden free time. He wasn't supposed to have all this time off. He had barely been in CIC for six hours before the admiral had come by and ordered him out. Not only did he have several hours left from his shift, but he also had the whole next shift off and his sleep cycle. He was going to be bored out of his mind, and he knew it.

Rounding a corner, he stopped suddenly. He had a hard time not rolling his eyes. To keep him from doing it, he closed them while sighing. Angela was part way down the corridor, arms folded. Gaeta had a mind to walk past her, but he knew he couldn't. When he really thought about it, he knew he was tired. Everything seemed to pass by him so quickly. He had only recently found out about how Baltar's trial being canceled because of his erratic behavior that had lead to his injury.

Without realizing it, his annoyed look slowly melted away to reveal exhaustion. Unfolding her arms, Angela moved quickly towards him. Stuffing her clipboard under an arm, she grasped one of his arms with her free hand and started pulling him down the corridor. "Where are we going?" he asked confused.

"Do not worry about that. You need to rest."

Gaeta soon realized they were heading to her cabin. Once inside, she set up her computer so it would play something for him to relax. 'I'll be back in a little bit, I've got to make sure medical supplies sent to _Astral Queen_ don't get stolen and used for illicit purposes.'

Just as she was leaving, he asked, "How will you know if I decide to leave?"

'I have my ways,' she smiled sweetly, then moved out into the office.

* * *

Laura slowly brushed the tangles out of her hair with her fingers while looking at herself in the mirror. She had yet to decide on when she would accept the new ambassador. Bill had told her earlier that the new ambassador wanted to retain Soblet's services as a translator. The refusal was immediate. Laura did not want him back on board for any reason whatsoever. Then, with the hearing and what had happened to Gaeta, she realized she was running out of options and time.

Walking out of her private restroom, she went back to her overflowing desk. Just because _Colonial One_ had been out of commission didn't mean that the government was also. If anything, there seemed to be more work to do. For a moment, she debated on whether or not to call Bill about her concerns and thoughts. Last night he had gotten an earful. It's not that she wanted him to know, she had just been overwhelmed with everything that needed to get done. Yes, they were hoping that they had found Earth, but not like this. She had yet to see what the planet looked like. At least Billy wasn't being overwhelmed by calls from the populace, if you didn't take into consideration congratulatory calls. That was one thing she didn't mind receiving. Also, that first disaster vessel that arrived was now almost empty. If anything, she knew those very same people that praised her for getting them to Earth territory safely, would easily turn on her once the foodstores started running low.

Pulling out a piece of paper, she started writing down all the things they would need. Another relief vessel fully stocked would be very welcomed. Easy access to Earth would be another thing she would push for, but that would be for future discussions. After several minutes, she looked at the very short list. She knew she would never be able to remember everything that they needed. They were a society that was barely surviving. Most of the people loved the Terrans, but talked about them in the abstract. Hardly any of them had direct contact with their long lost cousins except through the media.

Realizing she had put it off long enough, Laura picked up the phone. "Billy, I need to talk to the admiral." She waited patiently for several minutes before continuing, "Bill, I've decided to go ahead and meet with the Terran ambassador. . ." She looked up to the clock before answering, "Three hours." Once the call was terminated she looked back up again at the clock. No one had bothered to take down the paper tag that was placed on the minute hand back when they first fled the Colonies. The image struck her as bizarre and made her laugh. Getting up, she gathered the folders on her desk, along with her recently compiled list, and moved over to Billy's office. Just as she was reaching for the curtain, he pulled it open.

"Ma'am," he smiled. "Have you decided where the initial meeting will be?"

"No," Laura sighed. "The only place I can think of is the _Galactica_'s Ward Room."

"What about translators? Major Gaeta is back on duty, but I don't know if he'll be available." Her aide went back to his desk and looked through the gathered paperwork.

"What about Lieutenant Glennan? I'm amazed at her language abilities. It's only been three weeks. . ." Laura hesitated before continuing, "And she's fluent." _Barring those strange words she throws in accidentally_.

"She might be our best bet. I'll let the admiral know your thoughts while you're heading in that direction."

"Thank you," Laura answered with a smile as she left the Presidential transport. It would take a bit of time to get to the forward sections of the battlestar, but not three hours. The rest of the time she decided on using it to prepare herself for the upcoming meeting. This would be the first time any of them had talked to a formal diplomat from Terra. The press would be hounding her for days trying to be the first to break the information to the civilian population.

Just as she rounded one of the last corners she smiled at the sight of Bill moving towards her.

"Short notice?" he asked with an amused look on his face.

"Actually I only just decided to meet with him. I've been putting it off long enough. Plus, what would the Terrans think of me as a leader?" she asked.

Bill stopped before answering, "That you're being extremely careful."

Laura sighed. "You know, Adar never believed that the Thirteenth Colony was real."

"And now you're meeting with their official representative." They started moving down the corridor once again.

"Is the Ward Room ready?" she asked as he pulled the door open to his cabin.

"Yes."

"What about our translators?" Laura's eyes narrowed slightly at his hesitation. "What's wrong?"

"Major Gaeta was cleared from light duty status. . ."

"Did something happen?" she put the folders down on the table.

Bill closed eyes, "He might be too exhausted to act as translator."

"I see. . .I still would like to ask him if at all possible. If he's unable to, then that leaves Lieutenant Glennan, does it not?"

A slight smile crossed Adama's face before continuing, "Yes."

"And she is quite fluent. I see no reason we can't use her services." Turning around, she started going through the folders, "She is available, right?"

"If not, she will be," Bill answered under his breath. "I'll have her report to the Ward Room," he answered loud enough for Laura to hear.

"Good." She looked up at the clock, "Because we have a little over two hours before the meeting. I want to be as up to date on everything as possible."

* * *

'Three hours!' Garcia looked at Mair with eyes wide in shock. 'That does not give me nearly enough time to prepare for such a meeting!'

'I'm sorry, Your Highness. I know, but it has been a week. You should have known something like this might happen.' Mair carefully hid her amusement at Garcia's reactions to the sudden meeting. At least Roslin had finally decided to meet with them.

'Señora, did they mention about the use of a translator?'

Mair shook her head, 'No, but I presume that has already been taken care of. They know that we use a completely different language than they do, though it was quite a shock when they first found out.'

'How so?' Garcia leaned forward, clearly interested.

O'Neill looked down while trying to figure out the best way to explain the whole concept of a single language. 'They do not have a dominant language like we do. They have only one language. They assumed that we spoke the same language. When President Roslin found out that it wasn't the case she was very surprised. It was something they never even considered.'

'Very interesting,' Garcia leaned back.

'Sir, the transport will leave in two hours. I hope you spend your time wisely preparing for the meeting.' Mair terminated the conversation.

'Of course, Señora.' Garcia stood and bowed.

Once he was out of her office, Mair shook her head. Garcia had picked up very quickly that he couldn't lay his charms on her. She had been around long enough to see the signs, and they were blatantly visible to her. Mair only hoped that Roslin was sharp enough to know what he might do.

Two hours later, Mair stood in the command center and watched as the shuttle with fighter escort left the relative safety of her ship and headed towards the Colonial's flag ship. 'Harris, send a message to the Colonials telling them that the ambassador is on his way.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

Garcia leaned forward, straining to look outside the front viewscreen. The ships he was heading towards were nothing like he had ever envisioned. The two largest were obviously military. A combination between a heavy destroyer and a carrier. The concept was something different, but it also looked like they had been able to make it work. The two Terran ships were embedded inside the odd mixture of ships, but those two still stood out. Their designs were totally different compared to the ones around them.

'You're Highness, we'll be landing in 15 minutes.'

'Pilot, do you know where we are going?'

'Sir, I've made this run several times.' The pilot turned around far enough for Garcia to catch the name on his uniform. _Janes_.

'Of course,' Garcia sat back then let his eyes stray towards his attaché case he brought with him. Not knowing how long the talks would take, he had taken it upon himself to bring several changes of clothes. A ship that size should have at least one cabin free for him to use. Captain Soblet had told him that there was a VIP cabin close to the Admiral's quarters, and that it also had a transceiver installed there. Having a personal transceiver would make communications much easier for him.

_This is a huge ship_. Garcia looked through the front viewscreen as they were being lowered down into the hanger. When the shuttle stopped moving, they waited for a short time before disembarking onto the hanger deck. Because of the Colonials' refusal to let Captain Soblet be translator and aide, he had to make do with what he carried with him. It was an odd feeling having to rely solely on the other side, and one he did not like either. If anyone saw the meeting, they would say the Colonials had the upper hand, and in a way they did. The upper levels of the EU wanted certain things to happen in this meeting. With what had happened so far, he didn't know if he could pull it off. All he could do is to try his best to get the visitors to agree to the proposals he had barely managed to sketch out in the short time he'd had before the initial meeting.

How do you conduct a first contact situation when the civilization probably colonized Earth? Once the door opened, he realized that the time for musing was over. Stepping down from the transport, Garcia looked around for a moment. His eyes stopped on the petite woman in obvious Terran military garb standing there patiently waiting for him. Garcia looked for her rank and name for a moment before speaking, 'Lieutenant Glennan? I expected someone of higher rank from our visitors.'

'Mr. Ambassador, they are extremely busy. Admiral Adama asked me to escort you to your cabin and then to the Ward Room. There, President Roslin and Admiral Adama will formally meet with you.'

_Do they have any idea what this looks like?_ He sighed when he realized that this was all he was going to get for now. _Soblet must have gotten them furious over some delicate issue. He was always arrogant, thinking he could get away with anything and everything without caring about the consequences._

'I was told I would have access to my own personal transceiver.' His question was spoken more as a statement.

Angela hesitated for a moment. She hated giving up that transceiver for the ambassador, but she was in no place to complain about it. All she could do was make do with Adama's as long as she was close enough to it. 'Yes. There is a transceiver in the VIP quarters.'

'Good,' he answered confidently. He didn't notice her hesitation. Nor did he think to pay careful attention while on their way to the cabin he would use. It was only halfway there when he remembered, but he decided to keep his mouth shut for now. 'Lieutenant, how well are you able to communicate with the crew?' Garcia couldn't help but notice how she was being treated by the others they passed in the corridors.

'Sir, I can get by,' she answered noncommittally. 'And make myself understood.'

He was about to answer when they stopped in front of what looked like a nondescript door in another nondescript corridor. 'This is the VIP cabin,' Angela said as she released the lock and opened the door. Setting foot inside, Garcia nodded in appreciation, especially with the sight of the transceiver sitting on a side table in the corner.

'This will do fine,' he finally answered. Setting the attaché case on the table, he pulled out the paperwork he had gathered on such short notice and quickly organized it. 'This is an unusual way to handle meetings, but are they ready?' he asked as he finished.

'Sir, I'm not privy to that information. I would suspect that they want to meet with you in the Ward Room as soon as you're ready.'

'I see.' Garcia looked at her thoughtfully before nodding. 'Then if could take me to the Ward Room. You see, this is a momentous occasion.'

Angela nodded, careful to not let any emotion show on her face. 'If you will follow me, sir.'

The trip took half the time compared to coming from the hanger area. Turning a corner, she found two of her marines standing guard at the door. As they reached the door, the marines braced themselves and one smartly opened the door. Garcia didn't know if that was for him, or the Lieutenant. Either way, he was able to notice that they had some of their customs. _Interesting_.

"Mr. Ambassador, please have a seat." Laura indicated the chair across the table. Angela hesitated for a moment before relaying what was said. She was of mind to retreat to the back of the room, but a slight shake of the head from Adama made her think otherwise. Just as they reached the center area, the door opened again and Felix stepped inside. He hid his exhaustion behind a mask of calm.

"I'm glad you could make it, Major," Laura nodded to Gaeta as he sat down carefully.

He hid it well, but Angela could tell he was exhausted, and that Dr. Cottle probably doped him up for the time being so he could make the meeting. It bothered her, but she couldn't do anything about it at the moment.

TBC...


	43. Chapter 43

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 43  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

_**Chapter Forty-three**_

Garcia looked to the woman seated across the table from him. She was quite lovely, and very annoyed at him. The snubbing he had received when he had come aboard and been met by a single lieutenant hadn't been lost on him. There was a young man sitting beside her, ready with paper and pen. The older officer was standing off to the side a few feet from the woman watched him in cold detachment. The Spaniard knew he had a lot of ground to cross before the major issues could be discussed between the two sides. Using a tone he felt sounded very open and not condescending, he started, 'Ma'am President, I am Juan Alfonso Bourbon y Garcia. Terra appointed me as the first ambassador to your people.' He paused while his words were translated. What was odd, was that it was the other foreign officer that was the translator. Garcia had expected the Terran Lieutenant to do the bulk of the work.

Laura looked at him for a short time before deciding to answer by directing her comments to the Terran Lieutenant. "You can make the introductions, Lieutenant."

Glennan nodded while turning back towards the Terran ambassador, 'President Roslin. She is the duly elected president of the Twelve Colonies. The officer beside her is Admiral Adama and is the highest ranking officer in the Colonial Military.'

Garcia nodded slowly as his eyes tracked between the two senior members of the fleet. He knew it was going to take all of his abilities to reach the two leaders. 'What can I do to show that we are not all like the former liaison?' he slowly ventured. He did not like having to start with something like this. It was akin to groveling. Groveling was something commoners were supposed to do. Though he was chaffing slightly on the inside, he put forth the image that he was calm and patient, but ready to do what was needed.

"So Mr. Garcia, do you know what happened? I will not allow anything like that to happen again. There is too much at stake for you to go wandering around," Laura started slowly. "Until you have shown your trustworthiness, you will have an escort with you at all times. Only after you have proven that you can be trusted will the escort be removed."

Garcia's eyes widened in surprise at how curtailed he was going to be while with the fleet. Not knowing why, his eyes flicked over to the older officer. He knew in seconds that he was being read. It was an unpleasant feeling.

"You will accept it, or you will leave."

'I am not sure I quite understand you. . .' Garcia shook his head. This was something he did not like.

"Let me be clear on this matter. Except for your cabin, you are not allowed access to different areas of the ship unless you are previously cleared by either Admiral Adama or Security," Laura answered with a smile, but her eyes meant business.

Garcia remained quiet for several minutes before slowly nodding. This would make it extremely difficult for him to complete all the tasks his patrons required of him. If he didn't agree to everything, then he would have no chance whatsoever. President Roslin obviously had the upper hand and wasn't going to give it up. Looking to the younger officer he finally nodded in agreement.

'Could you explain the events that brought you here?' Garcia asked. He was curious, especially looking to the fleet of vessels that were showing signs of falling apart.

Laura looked at Adama for a moment before turning her attention back to the dark Terran. "It is a long story. Basically, there was a surprise electronic attack. After our defenses were shut down our worlds were destroyed. What you see out there is all that's left of twelve worlds and upwards of 60 billion citizens."

_Refugees. They are desperate. This could work our way._ He gave her a look of dismay while answering, 'I am truly sorry for what has happened to your people. Terra will do what she can to help, which is what I have to offer.' Garcia stopped when he saw a look of surprise cross Roslin's face. She looked to the officer beside her again before bringing her attention back to the table.

"What is your offer?"

Garcia hesitated before continuing, 'Terra is too densely populated to be able to absorb wh - -'

"I will not let that happen," Roslin's voice flared in anger.

'I do not understand?'

"Let me explain it to you. We will not loose what's left of our culture. I do not want the people to be 'absorbed' and disappear."

Garcia backed up a few inches, surprised at her vehemence. 'Ma'am,' he paused before continuing. 'As I was saying, Terra is too densely populated. Right now there is 8 to 10 billion people living on the planet. What I can offer you is a relatively unpopulated colony world. That way you will have room to reestablish your culture.'

"What about the military? I will not give that up."

'And you will not,' Garcia answered with a smile. 'Admiral Adama will still be your senior military officer, but the ships will also be absorbed as a unit into the Terran Union's fleet. Basically it will be your own battlegroup, or whatever you call it.'

"All right," if anything Roslin's answer was even slower than before. "Anything else?"

'Until your people are self-sufficient, Terra can supply your needs, and take care of your people.'

"I see. And what do we do in return for this?"

Garcia sat back and thought a little bit. Word was filtered through that these people were able to put their FTL drive into a ship slightly larger than a one person fighter, plus it made the ship untraceable at the same time. This was something his patrons were very interested in. If he worked it right, this would be the ace in the hole for the EU, and make it a true power not to be taken lightly. 'Captain Franchetti mentioned that what took our ships three hours to cover, you did it in half that time.'

"The FTL drive?" Laura asked in surprise. "You mean you don't have the same type of FTL drive as we do?"

'Apparently not, Madam President. Maybe we could have a mutual exchange of technologies?' Garcia asked while trying to sound hopeful at the prospect of receiving some of their technology.

"Mr. Ambassador, we are just getting back to being able to maintain everything. We are really in no position to just hand over people that are needed in their fields of expertise."

'Of course not!' he smiled at her graciously. 'What we can do is to have a few people on board to observe and take notes on how the different systems are run. That way you do not loose anyone. In fact, you might be able to gain a few people to help with the maintenance while they are your guests.'

Laura looked over to the somewhat empty sheets in front of Billy. Even he had seem struck by the seemingly open generosity of the Terran, but when the time came, he simply forgot. Looking over to the clock, she noted that it showed that it was close to dinner. "Ambassador Garcia, I am going to need some time to think about the offer. The meetings will be in recess until we have been able to digest this offer you have given us."

'Of course, Señora. Take all the time you need. This is a very important decision for everyone involved.'

Laura gave him a hard look before answering, "Yes, it is." As she rose, the rest hastily got to their feet and let her exit. "And, Mr. Garcia," she said as she turned around at the door, "The Marines can show you to your cabin."

'And only if it's cleared with _him_ or security,' Garcia muttered just below his breath as he watched the president leave. Soon afterwards, Adama left with the Colonial translator. The Terran lieutenant remained until two more marines arrived. She said something quietly and they nodded while bracing themselves. Once she was gone they looked at him and one said in a heavy accent, 'Sir. Come.'

Garcia nodded in resignation. _It would be impossible to get out of this_, he thought morbidly as he followed one while letting the other trail behind him.

* * *

Glennan walked briskly down the corridor on the way to the mess. She wasn't looking for Gaeta at all. What she wanted was something to eat. Setting foot inside the room, she was surprised to find the executive officer already there. He didn't seem that hungry, just mainly picking at the food. Retrieving her own tray, she moved over to the table he was at and sat down opposite of him. 'You okay?' she asked.

All of a sudden he seemed to start acting like the food was unappetizing. Putting the fork down, he pushed the tray away and rested his forehead on the palms of his hands. "I don't know," he muttered. Ignoring the food, she got up and went over and pulled him to his feet. "We are go to Life Station." Her tone brokered no argument as she pulled him out of the room and into the corridor.

The odd thing was that he didn't resist it. Once they got there he was actively wincing at the lighting in the large room. Shrugging off her hand, he quickly found the head and closed the door. Not knowing what was going on, she decided to get the doctor, whichever one she saw first. Off to the side she saw what looked like a new mother, sitting in a chair and feeding her child. Glennan smiled slightly at the sight of new life then went back to searching for one of the doctors.

It happened to be Cottle, and he was in his office. "Doctor, something is wrong with Major Gaeta," she said with some concern.

"Where is he?" the older officer asked while following her into the large room. "Head. . .hurt?" she asked.

It took a moment before Cottle realized what she was talking about. "Oh. You mean headache. He should be all right."

Angela shrugged her shoulders while knocking on the door to the head. When there was no answer, she opened it up and found the lights were off.

"You sure he's in here?" Cottle asked somewhat amused.

"Yes, I am," Gaeta grumbled. "Please turn off that light, it's too bright."

Cottle gave Glennan a knowing look then stepped inside the smaller room. "Major, I'll get you something for your headache. It will knock you out for some time."

"Will it work?" Gaeta asked as he slowly got to his feet. He had been sitting on the deck, leaning against the wall.

"Yes, it will. I've given it before." Helping him out he brought him to one of the cots, then went into another room to retrieve the medication. Returning, he commented, "Now, I don't want you to go play a round of pyramid any time soon. Recovering from a concussion takes longer than you realize." He handed him a paper cup with water and the medication. Once the executive officer downed it, Cottle turned his attention back to Glennan. "Get him back to his cabin. I want to see him first thing tomorrow if he's able to get up and about."

"Yes, sir." Glennan nodded while Gaeta closed his eyes again. Not knowing how fast the medication acted, Glennan pushed the Colonial officer out of Life Station and back to his cabin in record time. Once the door was secure she ordered him to strip and get into his rack. It was odd to see him meekly do what she told him. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Glennan left his cabin only after she made sure his uniform was folded neatly over the closest available chair.

Moving past her first cabin, she looked at the door for a moment, she wished she had that transceiver once again. It had made everything so much easier having one right there. Her rank, though, wasn't high enough for them to dedicate one just for her own use. Sighing she took a step before she remembered something odd. The ambassador used the term 'Terran Union'. It bothered her that she didn't really know what he was referencing. Taking another step, she decided to check her computer, it might have some sort of reference about the Terran Union. If not, she would have to email Captain O'Neill about that piece of information.

Everything in her cabin was exactly where she left it. The door into the barracks was open. One of the marines came into the office when they noticed she had come back. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We were ordered to tell Major Gaeta he was required to show up to the Ward Room."

"I know," she answered as she opened the computer. "I was there." She dismissed him and turned her attention back to the computer. When it was up and running, she ran a search through her historical database, hoping that something might pop up. 'Son of a bitch,' she muttered darkly. With exaggerated patience, she closed up the computer then stormed out of the office.

She was not bothered by the officers she met in the corridors on the way towards Adama's cabin. They seemed to sense her mood, or perhaps just recognized the dark look of anger on her face. Standing outside, she didn't even have to make any comments to the guards. One look and one of them immediately opened the door and slipped inside. Seconds later he reappeared and nodded towards the cabin.

Taking a deep breath, Angela tried to calm down. It didn't work. Taking a step inside, she found both leaders sitting at the table with several pieces of paper between them.

"Lieutenant?" Adama asked, clearly wary at the anger she was projecting.

"Sir." She took another deep breath before continuing. "Something is wrong. I admit I was not grown up on Terra, so I do not know all political names of all alliances. You are dealing with one alliance, not all of alliances. Their official name is the 'European Union'."

"What type of ramifications are we dealing with, Lieutenant?" Laura asked as she pulled her glasses off. Before Angela could answer she indicated one of the chairs, "Please, sit down. And yes, I remember Captain O'Neill talking about this. Is it this bad?"

"Sometimes, ma'am. The European Union want's the ultimate 'upper hand'. They want to be in complete control and not in an alliance like the rest of the nations are parts of," Glennan answered slowly, "and they see that with your technology. They want it for themselves."

"I do not like this," Laura looked at Bill for a moment.

"No, it's not good," he answered.

"Sir?"

The two older Colonials turned their attention back to Glennan. The lieutenant was looking off to the side, thinking hard. "They might want the FTL drive. You travel to this buoy in half the time it normally takes one of our ships. Also, if you join the Terran Union's military, you will not be in command any more." Glennan saw anger easily cross Roslin's face. "Not all of Terra is like this. Captain O'Neill will never do this, plus both the USA and the Commonwealth nations easily and generously pass technology around to the other alliances that need it, so all can actively protect the planet." Her last words seemed to mollify the two, but not by much.

"Admiral, what if we decide to offer all of Terra some of our technology, not just the ones we're dealing with now?"

Adama looked thoughtful for a moment, "That might work. Make it available to all the members." He turned his attention back to Glennan, "Thank you for this information." As he was dismissing her, she commented, "Major Gaeta might not be there tomorrow. He had a very bad headache. Dr. Cottle gave him something a short time ago."

Adama nodded and waited until she had left his cabin.

"Who would have thought that our cousins would be this fractured?" Laura shook her head as she gathered up her papers.

"Up until the First Cylon War, we were the same way," Bill answered as he sat down on the couch. As Laura came over, he picked up the comm. unit. "Cottle, what's going on with my XO?. . .I see. . .Keep me informed."

"What was that for?" Laura sighed as she sat down.

"I think Gaeta pushed himself too hard. Cottle just released him from limited duty this morning."

Laura mused, "He did seem very tired." Turning her attention back to the table, she continued, "I rather like the idea of how we can get around what Garcia is proposing. What about the planet, though?"

"I want to talk to O'Neill about that. She might have a better idea for us to think about."

"Searching all this time, and come to find out that they're not what we expected." Laura sighed as she closed her eyes.

_President Laura Roslin and Admiral Adama have been in serious talks with the new Terran Ambassador, who arrived earlier today. It was a surprise action, so we do not have any audio with his arrival. The only ones that know of what is being discussed at the present time are the parties involved, along with the translators._

_On another note, former Vice President Gaius Baltar has been transferred to the _Pegasus

TBC...


	44. Chapter 44

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 44  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-four_**

Dee looked at the large, and very different piece of equipment securely ensconced to the side of her workstation. It was nothing like what she was used to working with. It seemed more like a decoration and one that didn't fit in CIC. Billy had commented to her a couple of nights ago that it might be in their best interest if she were to learn the Terran language. He had called it English. Dee had heard the language, and it sounded like a difficult one to learn, but Gaeta seemed to be having a somewhat easy time absorbing the language. Then again, he was used to working with computer code.

Once the marines had brought it into CIC, two more marines, apparently Terrans, had installed it and then explained to her how it was used. They were even able to jack it into a spair circuit on her console so it could be routed into their own comm. systems. How they did that, she had no idea. Still, the thought of being able to communicate with the Terran ships more easily (actually it was easy for her, but not for them) made it worth everything. Ironically, it was easier to use than the systems on the _Galactica_, or the _Pegasus_. One of the Terrans, who's name was Ferguson, had commented that the only ones that could tap into the system were the Terrans themselves. The Cylons had no way of being able to force their way into the system.

That knowledge helped somewhat, but she still was worried that the network could be the Terran's ultimate downfall. Her own people had been through so much in the last year that hardly any of them trusted computers anymore. Once the marines were gone, she went over the list once again on how to use the new piece of equipment. The amusing thing was that the other CIC team members were finding some issue to make them move over to her station. The system was ridiculously easy to use, which made it difficult at the same time.

She had been fiddling with it for some time when she got a comm. from the admiral. He seemed very angry, in her estimation, and wanted to talk to Captain O'Neill. Turning to the side, she activated the transceiver and sent the call through. _I could get used to this_. Once the call was transferred, it became completely private, and she had no way of listening in on the transmission. All she could say later on was that she knew when the call had been terminated.

"Captain," Adama started once the call was sent through. It did seem somewhat odd for him to be talking to the Terran captain like this. He was used to having both hands free. "There is something very important that I need to talk to you about." He reigned in his emotions so much that he sounded cold.

_"What happened?"_ Mair asked slowly.

Adama took a deep breath. He wasn't entirely sure how he was going to tell her about the latest issues with the Terran political system. "The ambassador had the same ideas as the liaison."

_'Damn!'_ she hissed. _"All right, Admiral. May I ask what he offered?"_

Before Adama could answer the door opened and one of the marine guards escorted Zarek into the cabin. "He offered full membership into the Terran Union for the military as a battlegroup. The other issue is our self-sufficiency. Garcia stated that. . ." he hesitated as Laura came over from the couch to give him the notes Billy made. "He stated that Terra would supply all our needs. Captain, I really don't like the way either of those offers sound."

Mair eventually answered, _"Neither do I, Admiral."_

"Who is he talking to?" Zarek asked Laura as he sat down at the table.

"Captain O'Neill," Laura answered as she moved towards the table. Once she was seated across from the vice president she continued, "So far, she appears to be the most open of the Terrans we've met." She hesitated before continuing. "Tom, you have no idea what we've been through with the Terran diplomats."

Laura turned her attention back to Adama as he placed the comm. back in its cradle. For a moment the older man rubbed his temples while shaking his head. "What is it, Admiral?"

Adama got up and moved over to the table and sat down. "There's little Captain O'Neill can do except give us advice. Garcia is supposedly here to represent the whole planet, but somehow he snuck in some issues for the group he's with."

"Does the Terran captain have what was offered?" He looked to the two leaders then asked, "What did the Terran ambassador offer?"

"A place to settle the people, and the military join the Terran Union's military as a battlegroup," Laura answered curtly.

"Which means we will not be in control of our destiny anymore," Adama growled.

"Well, lets see what we can get out of them," Tom asked with a rather amused smile on his face. "I want to be there at the next meeting."

"With pleasure," Laura answered with the same tone of voice. "You can stay on board overnight. The next meeting will be sometime after breakfast. I'll need at least that amount of time to formulate my answer." Nodding at the look Zarek was giving her, she continued, "And yes, you will be informed before the meeting as to my decision on the matter tabled in front of us."

"Do you have any ideas so far?"

"Only of possibly holding out to see if we might get something better," Laura shook her head. "If we decide to leave, we could easily have a riot on our hands. The people have developed a fondness for not having to merely subsist." There was a longer pause before she continued, "There is something else that hasn't been mentioned. Terra is rather. . .fractured. . .politically."

"Now that's interesting," Zarek let a thoughtful look play across his face.

"They do not have a single planetary government. Their defense is a conglomeration of the different 'alliances' militaries. . .Damn you, Garcia," she lowered her voice in anger. "Not a separate member, but subservant to one of the alliances."

"And if they have control of our military, no telling what will happen if we settle on the planet Garcia might push for," Tom answered.

"Now you see what we're dealing with," Adama gave Zarek a knowing glance.

"Very much so," Tom nodded. "Too bad we don't know where Earth is at the moment. We could jump right inside their inner defenses."

Laura let a smile cross her face, "It would get our point across, but it's too impractical at the present time."

"Then what about using him as a possible hostage?" Zarek commented with a rogue grin.

Adama shook his head, "Won't work. If we were to go that route, we would need to have something or someone important. Garcia is only one politician. He is a creature of the government, and apparently his patrons." He glanced towards Laura. The current President was looking at him in surprise. "Though they might try it on us. If he asks to have you come to one of the Terran ships, let me know in advance. That way I can make sure that both of you will be safe." _It was foolish of you to go to that Terran ship in the first place_.

Laura was about to protest, but decided not to for the moment. She understood Adama's reasons for not letting her out of his sight. What shocked her was that he had added Zarek in the bubble of protection. She would have to ask him about that later.

"What about the planet? Do we know anything about it's political makeup?" Zarek asked while reaching for Billy's notes.

"Not at the moment," Laura shook her head.

"You know, Madam President, their colony worlds might be tied into the different political systems."

Laura nodded slowly. "I haven't had time to think about that issue." Turning she continued after a lengthy pause, "Do you think Lieutenant Glennan might have a listing of all the colony worlds Terra has?"

Adama looked off to the side before answering, "She might."

"I'd like to have her here before the next meeting. I want to see what she knows about all this."

"I remember her," Zarek nodded. "And you trust her?"

"Much more than Garcia," Adama answered. "She has kept her word."

When Zarek finally, left Bill turned his attention back to Laura. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Laura shook her head. "I'll never get used to this," she muttered. "Why Tom?"

Bill reached over and touched her hand, "Because, he is the next in line. I have to protect both of you."

"I know. I guess I'm not used to hearing you say things like that."

"And it was rather foolish of you to head over to O'Neill's ship. You could have been taken hostage." He gave her a knowing look.

Laura looked down at her hands. "I couldn't see any other option open, you know that."

"Yes, I do, but what if you had been taken hostage?"

"They'd have to deal with Zarek. I'm not as ruthless," she gave him an amused grin.

The next day after breakfast, Garcia found himself sitting across from three people. President Roslin was there, along with her senior military officer and also her aide, but sitting beside her was another middle aged man. The Spaniard felt slightly uncomfortable under the newcomers gaze. It seemed almost predatory in nature. The two translators from the day before were with them also. The younger Colonial officer seemed much more rested and alert than the day before.

"Mr. Ambassador," Roslin started. "I would like to introduce to you the vice president, Tom Zarek. I had a lengthy discussion last night about your offer with Vice President Zarek and Admiral Adama." Pausing for a moment, she continued, "Is there any reason why you want my military to join the European Union's military as a battlegroup instead of being a separate entity?"

Garcia's mouth dropped open. 'Ma'am, I did not mean that at all. I was talking about the Terran defense forces.' He turned his attention to the officer translating the information from English into the Colonial's tongue, 'I did not say that at all! I believe there was a mix-up in the translation.' Garcia sat back with a slight smile on his face.

Glennan turned and commented quietly towards the ambassador, 'Sir, there was no mix-up. You forget, I can speak their language.'

"Mr. Ambassador."

Garcia turned his attention back to the Colonial president, as she continued, "Your military offer is unacceptable. I will not have the military taken away from my people." She smiled as she continued, "And I will not travel to any other Terran ship with you. Your people have to come here to meet with me. Either that, or we will leave, and take our technology that Captain Soblet found extremely interesting."

'I was hoping for some sort of answer. Your people are in desperate straits. The faster we can have these issues resolved, the quicker your people can get settled onto a suitable planet,' Garcia pushed.

"Only if we get to choose the planet. I want a listing of the colony worlds available, not just from the EU, but _all_ colony worlds. Do you understand?"

His manner clearly indicating that the talks were not going they way he wanted them too, Garcia slowly nodded. 'I assume you will continue to insist on your military's independence?'

"Of course," Roslin smiled. "We will not be subservant to any of Terra's alliances. That doesn't mean we will withhold our technology or help. We do, however, expect a fair and equitable trade for the technology we offer."

'I need to report back to Terra your thoughts on what was offered.' Garcia knew he he had been out maneuvered.

"That's fine. We can table the discussion until you hear from the Terran government." Laura signaled Billy then turned her attention back to Garcia. Once the young aide had gathered everything up, he came around behind her and whispered something to her. Nodding, she turned her attention back to Garcia. "That is all for now." She smiled and rose to her feet. The rest of the group hastily joined her, then let her leave the room.

Garcia watched as the Terran lieutenant left, it made him think when she wasn't followed by any of the marines. He knew he had to garner the Colonial's trust, but wasn't sure how to go about it. Gathering up his papers, he slowly left the now empty room. He considered his options as he set foot inside his cabin. The places he could travel to on the ship were highly restricted. _If only I could see one of the civilian ships. Then I would know just how badly off they are._ Moving over to the transceiver, he activated it and then set it up so it would send his report and requests back to the government.

"So, what do you think?" Laura turned to ask Zarek. She knew he had followed her to _Colonial One_.

"I'm hoping he will have a change of heart. I don't like what I saw." The former councilor sat down in one of the available chairs.

"Same here, but I'm not going to take what they offer. Yes, we're desperate, but we're not beggars. If need be, we can leave."

"Nice how you dangled the technology before him." An almost predatory smile crossed his lips.

"Best way how to get what I want. And what I want is a safe place for our people. You know that, Tom." She gave him a stern look, "And I also expect you to realize that you represent the entire society. What you do and say will sway the people either way. You have to be extremely careful with everything you do in the public arena."

* * *

Gaeta slowly walked through the corridors on his way to Life Station. Cottle was going to be very angry with him for missing his meeting. He had barely made it to the second round of talks with the Terran ambassador. If it weren't for one of the marines coming in and shaking him awake, he wouldn't have made it. The sleep had helped, but he still felt wiped out.

"Took you long enough," Cottle's gruff voice came from further inside the large room. Gaeta looked around for a moment, gathering his bearings. Sometimes he felt as though he were developing vertigo, but it would stop before everything would start spinning.

"Where were you?" The CMO moved across the room and stood in front of the younger officer.

"I only woke up in time to help with the talks."

Cottle nodded thoughtfully. "Sit," he ordered.

Once the XO was seated on the gurney, Cottle ran through the medical exam. "Any dizzy spells?" he asked as he took a step back.

"I'm not sure. It feels like I'm trying to get one, but it goes away." Gaeta shrugged his shoulders.

"No headaches?"

"No. Thank the gods. . ."

"Be thankful you didn't hit your head any harder," Cottle answered gruffly.

TBC...


	45. Chapter 45

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 45  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-five_**

Adama looked at Billy's notes from all the previous meetings with the Terran Ambassador. It seemed as though for the past few weeks, all they had been doing was going around in circles. If he didn't know any better, Garcia seemed to be stalling. Almost as though he was waiting for something, or someone. The list of colony worlds had been surprisingly mostly intact. All but a few were there. The ones not listed were ones where there was apparently no EU involvement.

"I see you noticed," Laura commented as she sat on the corner of his desk.

"There are a few worlds that Garcia never mentioned. Those might be possible landing areas for the civilians." Bill sat back while rubbing his forehead. After a few minutes, he reached over to the comm. and had Gaeta report to his quarters.

"Any reason why you want to talk to him at the present time?"

A wry smile crossed Bill's face. "Only that he might have some information that Garcia hasn't revealed."

It took a moment before Laura understood his reason. "Of course," she answered with a smile. She kissed him on the cheek then slid off the desk. Roslin was seated in one of the chairs when the door to the corridor opened. The young XO entered and immediately moved over to Adama's office cubbyhole and sat down in the other chair available.

"I called you here because it would appear Ambassador Garcia had failed to mention a few worlds -- those apparently with no EU activity." Adama leaned over and handed Felix both lists of Terran colony worlds.

Felix looked at the two lists and did a quick comparison of the two. He was looking at the worlds not on Garcia's list as Adama queried, "Is there any information that you know of about those other worlds?"

"I might. . .sir," Gaeta answered slowly. Leaning forward he pointed to one of the unlisted colony worlds, "This, I believe, is mostly an agricultural world. It has maybe half a million residents."

"So, room to settle?" Laura asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes, ma'am," Felix nodded.

"The others aren't really ready for colonization yet?"

Felix looked up at Adama while shaking his head, "No, sir. Those, I believe, are mostly like Troy."

Adama went back to the list Garcia handed over. Most of the available planets did have room for about 50,000 new residents, and they did seem good, but the developed colony that wasn't mentioned seemed even better. Not only was there room to grow, but there was also an ample food supply already on hand. Terra, they had finally decided, was off limits to settlement. Even if they were able to settle there, they would quickly lose their culture and disappear forever. If they went for one of the relatively low populated colony worlds, they would be able to salvage what they could and start anew. Plus visit Earth whenever they chose.

"Anything else?"

Felix thought for a moment before continuing, "Glennan commented that because of its position, the colony has its own defenses."

"Any reason why you know about this world compared to the others?" Laura asked with an amused look on her face.

Gaeta flushed slightly before answering, "It's Glennan's homeworld."

Adama gave him a wry grin. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Major. It would be like saying you know someone from Picon." He was just about to continue when the comm. buzzed.

_"CIC to admiral."_

"What is it?" he asked into the handset once it once he had it in hand. "I see. . .I'll be right there." Just as he placed the comm. unit back in its cradle he turned to Gaeta. "CIC."

"Yes, sir," Felix nodded quickly while getting to his feet. "Ma'am," the younger officer acknowledged the President, then turned on his heel and quickly left.

"Bill? What's wrong?" Laura asked as he was putting the files in order on his cluttered desk.

"We have had several Terran ships arrive unannounced. I do not like it." As he moved around the desk he asked, "Where's Zarek?"

"I think he's on _Cloud Nine_." Laura got up to follow him.

"Good." Just as he reached the door he threw over his shoulder, "Stay here. You'll be safe."

Laura nodded as the door closed. It was only then she realized that he wanted to make sure the vice president was not on board should anything happen to her.

Adama stepped inside the controlled chaos that was the CIC. Gaeta was in the process of making sure the civilian ships had their emergency coordinates updated. "Sir, all ships report coordinates updated, and the fleet is on heightened status," Gaeta reported once he reached the center board.

"Good." Bill looked up to the DRADIS and the incoming ships.

"Sir, there seems to be a lot of chatter on the Terran side. I'm not sure what to think about it," Dee shook her head.

Gaeta nodded at Adama's look then went over to Dee's station. "Let me see, Dee," he commented as he reached for one of the handsets.

"Yes, sir," she nodded while fiddling with the transceiver.

After listening for a few minutes, Gaeta shook his head. He set the handset down and went back over to Adama. "Sorry sir, they're speaking too fast for me to understand."

"Get Glennan up here."

"Yes, sir." Felix looked back up to Dee and nodded.

Even when he was not paying any attention, Gaeta knew the moment Glennan stepped into the CIC. Because of the time he had spent with her, he had become hyperaware of her presence. It wasn't unwelcome, but at the moment it was slightly distracting. He had a feeling it was the same for her, but she deliberately ignored his presence and moved over to the admiral. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he continued to concentrate on getting the civilians ships ready should they have to make an emergency jump. They all had the coordinates, but they found early on that jumping in order made emergency jumps much more orderly and safe.

Adama looked at her then indicated Dee's station, "Lieutenant, I need to know what's going on out there."

"Yes, sir," she answered then reached for one of the communication headsets. After listening for a few minutes she shook her head and sighed.

"Get the vipers in the tubes," Adama ordered.

"What about Starbuck?" Kelly asked as he reached for another handset.

"Her too. We need all our pilots out there."

Kelly nodded as he went to work.

Turning his attention back to Glennan, Adama asked, "Well?"

"Sir, they are from the EU. The _Titan_ is trying to reach Captain O'Neill, but she's not answering."

_Frak._

Angela shook her head. "Sir, I do not like what is going on."

"Dee, get on our system and see if you can raise Captain O'Neill," Adama ordered.

"Aye, sir."

"XO." The admiral moved back over to the plotting table. "Have the civilians jump. I don't want them here if at all possible."

"Yes, sir," Gaeta answered then moved down to the center board. Picking up the receiver he sent out the call. Because of their heightened status, their FTL drives were already spooled up. Within minutes the first ship disappeared in a flash of light, quickly followed by the others. When all were gone, the comm. channel went from silence to having a single voice. Adama knew enough of the language to know what the name of the _Galactica_ sounded like in Terran. And he could tell the call was directed towards him. The ship from several weeks ago that moved by them uncomfortably close, came charging back.

Adama calmly ordered, "Bring the weapons online. And have the _Pegasus_ do the same." Turning back to Glennan he continued, "Talk to them. We don't want to have to engage them, but will if provoked."

Angela's face lost some color, but quickly hardened. "Yes, sir." Picking up the headset, she hesitated before speaking, 'This is Lieutenant Glennan of the RN. I am currently stationed on the Colonial Battlestar _Galactica_. Admiral Adama wants you to stand down.' Not getting any sort of answer she turned her attention back to Adama. The admiral was trying to reach O'Neill still, but wasn't successful. "I am sorry, they are not answering me."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Adama turned while pinching the bridge of his nose. Things were not going well at all.

"Sir, Captain O'Neill's ship is moving," Heather announced while staring at her tactical screen.

"Where?" Adama asked, never taking his attention off the overhead DRADIS screens.

"Not sure at the moment," her voice dropped off. "It looks to be heading towards us."

Once it was fairly close another comm. message came through. _"Admiral Adama, this is Captain O'Bryan. Captain Franchetti is attempting to block comm. traffic coming to and from your ship."_

"Where is Captain O'Neill?" Adama managed to hold himself back from making it sound like a demand.

_"Unavailable at the current time. I'm the Executive Officer. I know what her wishes are and will make sure they are fulfilled. Do not worry."_

_At least **something**_. "Thank you, Captain." He paused for a minute before ordering, "Bring the bow around. Order the _Pegasus_ to do the same."

Gaeta nodded while giving out the orders to the noncoms who controlled the engine output. "Sir, DRADIS shows _Pegasus_ is following suit." The two battlestars were far enough apart to be able to fire and not hit each other. When the Terran ship _Goch_ stopped, she was situated above the two battlestars, and obviously prepping to launch her own fighters.

"Sir, _Titan_'s group is moving also," Heather announced.

"Where?" Adama had a suspicion that O'Neill's group was doing what it could to make sure they were supported. It made him feel somewhat better, knowing that there were Terrans on his side of things.

"Um. . .below us, sir. Her battlegroup is also spreading out."

_'Captain Franchetti, this is Captain O'Bryan. You do not want to do this.'_

'_You are not the Commodore, and since O'Neill is incapacitated, I'm taking over,'_ Franchetti's voice came across.

"Sir," Gaeta said softly after he translated the words. "This is a mutiny."

"Maybe not." Adama shook his head. Looking around, his eyes stopped momentarily on Glennan and then the board where the jump coordinates were worked out. Moving over, he commented quietly to Darin, "Lieutenant, stay." A little bit louder he continued, "XO?"

Once Gaeta was standing there, he suddenly remembered what happened right before they left Ragnar. It was like he was going through it again, but from a different perspective.

"We need a somewhat secure location," Adama started. Looking over the board he eventually pointed to one of the points. "Here. Now to get here, we're going to make the micro-jump to join the rest of the civilians, and then start the sequences to get us to. . ." He leaned over to look at the name, "Pictavia."

Gaeta responded slowly, "Captain O'Bryan needs to know."

"You will tell them in their language that we're taking the liaison home. O'Bryan should know what I mean."

A small smile crossed Gaeta's face before he nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Lieutenant Darin, I want you to start the plotting of maximum distance jumps towards Pictavia," Adama ordered.

"Yes, sir," she answered quickly then moved to the other tactical station.

"Admiral?" Glennan came up to Adama. "Captain Franchetti wishes to speak with you."

"What did he say?"

"That you're stalling. He's pushing for you and President Roslin to ratify the proposal Garcia offered. He also wants to know where the civilian ships went."

Adama took a deep breath before he finally decided to answer, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Initial jump coordinates are in the computer," Darin reported quietly when she was finished.

"Good." Picking up the handset he said quietly, "Pegasus Actual, alpha coordinates." Not waiting for an answer he put the handset back in its cradle then turned to Gaeta.

Nodding, Gaeta spoke into the comm., 'We are taking the liaison home.'

"Jump!" Adama ordered quickly.

In seconds, they were floating just outside the group of civilian ships. Moments later the _Pegasus_ joined them. Once everything was checked out, the first of the new coordinates were quickly disbursed to the waiting civilian ships. For the short time they were there, a CAP was set. The civilian ships had been without any type of defenses for some time, and Adama wanted to make sure that everything was as it should be.

_'O'Bryan, where the hell did they go?!'_ Franchetti yelled across the subspace frequency.

A hint of a smile crossed Jack's face before it disappeared. 'Who knows? Adama can do what he damn well pleases. He is charged with protecting the civilians with him. Apparently he felt justified to leave us here in the lurch without any warning.' _But there was a message._

_'You have the liaison on board, he cannot be taking him home. Adama has no idea where Terra is. This is madness. . .'_ Franchetti finally disconnected the line.

Jack sighed while looking around the command center. 'Thompson, you've got the conn. I'm checking on the skipper.' With that the executive officer left. Several minutes later he walked through the entrance into sickbay. He never liked being here. The executive officer stopped at an unmarked door and slowly pushed it open. 'Skipper?' he asked quietly, not sure if she was able to take visitors. This was the worst attack she had had in a long time.

'What is it, Jack?' she asked. Her voice had an odd drugged sound to it.

Closing the door, he brought the lone chair around so he could sit in it. 'Once Franchetti found out that you were here he tried to assume command of the fleet and force the Colonials into the treaty.'

'I know that look, what did he do?'

'I wouldn't have minded if he were the commodore, but it was the way in which he took over. He was very arrogant and demanded both Admiral Adama and President Roslin to agree to Garcia's initial proposals.'

'Damn.' Mair closed her eyes. 'No shooting?'

Jack grinned, 'No, but I do know Adama scared the hell out of Franchetti and the ones that have never seen their jump drive.'

An amused look crossed her face, 'Oh? What did our esteemed Admiral do?'

'Had the civilian ships jump to another point. He also made it look like he was going to engage the _SanJac_, but he didn't. He had someone say over the wireless, _'We are taking the liaison home.'_"

Mair closed her eyes and sat there for a long minute before a slow smile crossed her face. 'You sneaky bastard. I know where he's going, plus they've been here long enough to update their charts.'

'Where?' Jack leaned forward.

'Pictavia, of course. I want you to send a message to the Admiralty about what just happened, and also a message to Pictavia letting them know they will be getting visitors sometime soon.'

'Why Pictavia?' Jack stood up and moved the chair back to its spot.

'That's Lieutenant Glennan's home.'

'There is one other thing, skipper.'

Mair turned her attention back to her executive officer.

'They still have Ambassador Garcia on board.'

* * *

"Where are we going?" Angela finally asked between jumps.

"The only place the Admiral felt safe enough for us." Moving over to the board he showed her where they were heading. He knew her well enough that she wouldn't be pestering him per se, but. . . "The way you talked about it made it sound like it was readily open to new settlements."

Angela opened her mouth then closed it, she really didn't know what to say. Pictavia wasn't a colony anymore. In fact, the planet exported a decent amount of agricultural products to the nearest colonies and was a full member of the Commonwealth. "T-true. I just never expected this."

Gaeta was actually pleased for once. It was rare when he made her speechless and he wanted to savor the entire time. "I only hope O'Neill was able to get word to the planet."

"Yes."

It took several days worth of consistent jumping for the Colonials to cross the entire distance to their objective. The last jump was a day's journey under full steam of the slowest vessel in the fleet.

They were met half way to the planet by what the Colonials were now considering a mid-sized Terran destroyer bristling with weaponry. The words that came across the wireless were something different altogether. It was in broken Colonial, but well enough spoken for the CIC crew to understand; "Welcome to Pictavia."

TBC...


	46. Chapter 46

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 46  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .  
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-six_**

Laura Roslin looked out the large windows in the single lounge the _Galactica_ had. The planet they were orbiting seemed like a gift from the gods. Even though Adama had kept the _Galactica_'s crew busy, they still found time to come by the lounge and look at the planet below. Roslin knew from the beginning that it was going to take time to transfer the civilians planet side. At least it seem that the people understood.

The ships that could land were already on the planet. There were some houses already constructed, but the government also had to worry about the infrastructure. That was where the dominant culture came in. The major city of the planet, Avalon, had sent some of their own people out to the Colonial settlement to start working on giving them clean running water, along with a sewage treatment plant. To power everything, an electrical plant was also being built. For now, they were running off generators they were shown how to use.

Laura felt flattered by all they had been given, but it made her wary at the same time. She had no idea what their ulterior motives were. What bothered her even more were the Avalonians cheerfully shaking heads when she asked them pointed questions on what was expected of them. Zarek had looked at the natives with speculation, but she had managed to get through to him to not take advantage of their good fortunes. No telling what would happen if they found out about that.

With all the new raw materials now at their disposal, the foundry ship had gone into high gear working on converting everything over to service the ships. Captain Garner, who somehow had managed to survive the pounding the _Pegasus_ had taken when guarding the civilian ships while they were testing their FTL drives, had recently finished major maintenance work on the larger battlestar's engines. With the newer ship in good condition it allowed Adama to take the _Galactica_'s engines off-line so they could have a major overhaul. The engines had been running constantly since they had fled. The Chief Engineer knew their situation and had managed to keep up with the daily maintenance, but had told Adama about the problems that were beginning to develop. _Colonial One_ was also being worked on. The engineers had told her that it would be a few weeks before everything was working once again.

Down on the planet it seemed that every few days another house had been completed. It was her office's responsibility to see which family group was chosen to be the next settler. The complete family groups that had not been destroyed during the Holocaust were the first to settle. The new families were next, and the last would be for the singles. Everything seemed to be going on schedule, which was a blessing. After over a year of fleeing, the civilians seemed to be behaving nicely and not rioting on the ships, demanding to be sent to the planet. It also helped that there was another relief vessel close to the planet that was halfway filled. Within a week another huge vessel appeared. This one, Billy had informed her, was made specifically for colonization purposes. The reason it had come so quickly was because Pictavia was the main waystation for colonists traveling to the worlds that were not as far along with the terra-forming processes than this planet was.

The door opened, then closed. She looked at the reflection from the window to see who it was. Bill was standing just inside, either looking at her, or towards the planet, she wasn't quite sure. "It's so peaceful from up here," she said quietly as he neared her. "I'm still not quite sure how to take all this in." She shook her head as he felt him touch her lower back.

Bill hesitated before he finally answered, "All we can do is to keep our eyes open to what might happen."

"How long before _Colonial One_ is completed?"

"One, maybe two weeks. Do you want to see?"

Laura turned her attention back towards Bill before nodding, "Yes, I would."

A fleeting smile crossed Bill's face, making it soften, "Good, because there are others on board that want to take a look out the windows here."

"Bill, you know I don't mind them coming." Laura turned her attention back to the window.

"I know that and you know that, but the crew thinks you should have your privacy. That and your two guards that are stationed outside."

"You know, I had forgotten about them," Laura answered somewhat amused as she moved towards the door in the back.

The tour of her presidential ship didn't take that long. Each engineer stopped his or her work when she came to inspect their area of the ship. It had been a government luxury liner during the Holocaust, and from now it would remain the President's mode of transportation. When finished, she found herself back in Adama's cabin and looking over some of her work. "You know Billy is learning English," she commented.

"And so is Dee. I told her that it would be advantageous for all of us."

* * *

Mair looked at the screen close to her bedside. Ever since that last attack she had remained almost completely bedridden, the pain in her muscles was just too much to handle. The only reason she was still in command was because of how Jack was handling everything. She knew she had been lucky to be able to get him as her executive officer. Mair knew her days in the military were numbered. Even with that hanging over her, she knew she had this last mission to accomplish. Plus, the Admiralty didn't know how bad she was at the moment.

The screen let her know they had reached the outer reaches of the Pictavia system. For the past month or so, nothing had really come out of the area. The recently independent colony was very tightlipped when it came to their own business. The irony made her smile. That type of defensive posture was exactly what the Colonials needed until they could get back on their feet. She would have made it there earlier but had to report to the Admiralty the mess Franchetti created. It was just the way he tried to take over and force the refugees into something they were not completely sure about.

_'Ma'am, we've crossed the outer defensive positions. We should arrive in less than five minutes.'_

'Thank you, Harris,' Mair answered with a smile. Wincing, she reached over and pressed a few buttons so she could get the live feed from the hi-fi screen in the command center. Once they arrived, they slipped into a high orbit around the Pictavia. There were several colony ships in different stages of preparation in higher an even higher orbit. Five minutes later the Colonial fleet appeared. Compared to the colonizing ships that were recently in view, these looked tired and run down.

'Harris,' she started, 'Let Admiral Adama know that we've finally arrived.'

_'Yes, ma'am,'_ he answered smartly. _'If you want to listen, I can have it piped down here.'_

Mair let a slight smile cross her face before answering, 'Thank you.'

_'Colonial fleet, this is the _Ddoraig Goch_, how do you read?'_

_'Clear and loud,'_ a heavily accented voice came back. _This is a surprise,_ Mair mused. She hadn't really expect for them to start learning the language so quickly. She listened for a few more minutes before she muted the audio.

_'Ma'am, Admiral Adama is on the line.'_

Mair sighed as she reached over to the comm. 'Thank you, Harris. Put him through.'

There was a slight pause before Adama's voice came across, "_Captain, I've discussed this with both Dr. Cottle and President Roslin. We have a possible medical procedure for you."_

Mair let a tired smile cross her face before answering, "Admiral, I thank you, but there's nothing you can do."

_"Captain, just come down to the clinic, please?"_ Laura's voice came across. "_If it works out, then it will be worth the trip, you'll see."_

"Ma'am, I'll let you know my decision," Mair finally answered. They were very insistent on her coming down. The Terran captain didn't know what to think about it. Maybe Glennan might know something, she figured. Reaching over once again, she wrote out an email message asking if there were any Terran doctors working with the Colonials. She then leaned back against the pillows. Even that simple action was now taxing.

The message she received back from Glennan wasn't that surprising. Some of the medical doctors from the major planetary hospitals were already there and helping to deliver competent medical care. Mair thought about it for a few minutes before reaching once again for the comm. 'Jack, I'm heading planet side. Have my shuttle prepped. I'm not sure how long I will be.'

_'Yes, ma'am.'_

'Now to let the Colonials know,' she muttered. Mair winced once again as she sat up. Being practically bedridden was not fun. 'Harris, let Admiral Adama know that I'll be down in two hours.'

_'Aye aye, ma'am. Your shuttle will be ready when you reach the hanger.'_

'At least I can still dress myself,' she muttered as she slowly got up. Normally it would have taken her less than ten minutes to get ready, depending on the situation. This time it would take at least thirty minutes -- which was why she had said two instead of one hour.

Mair insisted on walking to the hanger because she felt it too humiliating to be brought there in a wheelchair. She was not looking forward to the trip down. Traveling through the atmosphere was notorious for giving shuttle passengers a bumpy ride. Once on the ground she felt like she was one big knot of pain. Janes, who had flown her down, came back to where she was sitting and helped her up. 'Ma'am, they've got a vehicle waiting for you,' he said while he went to open the door.

'Thank you.' For a moment she wondered why she was planet side, but then thought about how they had something that might help her with what she was dealing with.

The clinic was just a larger modular home that was converted to its specific needs. Glennan was there waiting for her arrival. 'Lieutenant. . .' she started unsure.

'I'm not sure, ma'am. They just asked me to be here because they thought you would want a familiar face. All the doctors, except the Colonial ones, are civilian volunteers from Avalon.'

_At least there's that_. 'Will this be safe?' she asked as she limped inside.

'Ma'am, I'm not sure if I should believe this report or not, but they state that this procedure was able to cure President Roslin of cancer.'

Mair's eyes narrowed slightly. 'You're right, Lieutenant. That seems just a bit far-fetched. You can't cure cancer with just one treatment. It takes two or three to get it all.' She looked around, not quite sure how the Colonial medical system worked.

"Captain O'Neill?" a gruff sounding voice asked.

Mair turned slowly around and looked at the older doctor. For a moment she wasn't sure what to think about him. He had a lit cigarette dangling from the edge of his mouth. Pulling it away, he asked "Dr. Cottle. So, what are your symptoms?"

This line of questioning had happened so many times that she knew what he wanted, "Muscle aches, tendons ache, phantom pain, and overall exhaustion constantly," she slowly moved to one of the available stretchers.

"I see. . ." Jack turned around and called out, "Ishay, I need that dose."

"Yes, sir," the medic answered then turned and rummaged around for the needed supplies.

"What does this entail, Doctor? And will it hurt?"

"If it doesn't work you won't change. If it does. . ." he shrugged as the medic came by and tugged slightly at his arm. Turning, he took the specimen bowl and removed the syringe from it.

"You can 'cure cancer' but are still using that?" Mair looked at the antique medical equipment.

"Captain, you use what you've been given. We're lucky we had this." With deft movements he cleaned a spot on her arm and then gave her the injection.

"And how long until I notice anything?" _If I notice anything. . . _

"It depends. Just take it easy for a while. I want to see you in one week."

Mair nodded while she slowly slid off the stretcher. "I'll keep that in mind," she said as she reached for her cane. For a moment she leaned heavily on it, then slowly limped towards the exit. Just before she reached her ship, she stopped Glennan. 'Lieutenant, I want your next report on my desk tomorrow morning.'

'Yes, ma'am. Admiral Adama's having me meet with the Avalonian police department today.'

'I expect to see it tomorrow, Lieutenant. Don't forget that.' Mair waited until Angela braced herself then nodded one last time and slowly boarded the shuttle.

Glennan watched from a safe distance until the shuttle lifted off and began its journey back to the _Goch_. Eventually she turned and headed back to the slowly developing community. With the _Galactica_'s engines off-line Adama let some of the crew travel to the surface to help set up the town. It was recently given the name of Aurora. With the clinic finished, they were now beginning to work on their temple. It looked a whole lot like the ancient Greek pagan temples in design and style. Felix was standing there right outside the construction zone watching the process. Angela let a smile cross her face as she came up beside him. "Who is it dedicated to?" she asked as she slipped her arm around his.

"Athena."

"Then this place should be called Athens instead," Angela answered with a grin.

"The priests and priestesses decided on it, not me."

"Of course." She hesitated before continuing, "I'm heading into Avalon to talk with the police department in a little bit. Plus Captain O'Neill wants my report on her desk by tomorrow morning."

Felix nodded in complete understanding, "Figures. I'll see you when you get back?" He reached over and kissed her hair.

'Yes.' With one last squeeze, she left and headed back to the spaceport and the waiting raptor.

* * *

Mair sat at her desk with her eyes closed. Whatever Dr. Cottle had given her had done wonders. Over the past few hours the deep-seated pain in her muscles and bones had slowly evaporated. Her now pain free body helped her examine the information that was being fed to her from the Admiralty. Another convoy had been hit and completely overwhelmed. The images told the story. The Admiralty had no idea what the Cylons ships looked like, but she did. They were sending the images out to all the captains to inform them of what was now considered a new danger.

In the images she saw several basestars and their fighters. The freighters that were attacked had minimal to no weapons and were easily destroyed. 'Damn,' she muttered as she studied the reports. The Admiralty was now pressuring her to find out what was going on, and where this new threat was coming from. Problem was that she had already reported the Cylons. It made her wonder if her reports had gotten through or not. That had happened before, and could easily happen again.

She reached for her cane as she stood up, but hesitated. It had become instinctive to make sure it was always close at hand. This time, she realized she didn't have to use it. She let a smile cross her face as she reached for the reports. Even with the loss of those two convoys, she was still in a pretty good mood. It was wonderful not having to deal with the ongoing pain.

Within minutes she was in the command center and looking at the Colonial ships. 'Harris, put a call through to Adama, I need to talk to him.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'Jack, I'm going across once I'm off,' she said off to the side.

'You're through,' Harris announced.

'Thank you.' Mair gave a faint smile before continuing, "Admiral Adama? There are some things I think I need to talk to you about."

_"All right, Captain,"_ he answered slowly.

"Good. I'll be there in about an hour." With that she had the line disconnected.

'Ma'am?' Jack asked as she moved from the command center.

'We've lost two convoys to Cylon raids. The Admiralty wants me to find out what's going on,' Mair answered curtly.

'And nothing was said about the skirmish we got involved in?' he asked.

'No, which is odd. It almost makes me think that my reports didn't get through. . .' she mused.

'You know, it's - -'

'Happened before. Yes, I know. I wish it would stop, though.' Mair shook her head.

The XO was quite for most of the rest of the trip to the hanger before he ventured a question, 'Um. . .where's your cane?'

O'Neill shook her head, 'I have no idea what they gave me, but it's gotten rid of the pain. I'm not sure how long it will last so will revel in it as long as possible.'

"Good luck."

"It's not luck, I just want information," Mair answered as she climbed into her shuttle once again.

TBC...


	47. Chapter 47

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 47  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-seven_**

It was such a relief to walk through the corridors not having to deal with that nagging thought that a phantom pain would strike at any moment. So much so, that Mair could actually focus on the little things that were all around her. She also felt that her reflexes were much quicker. The Terran captain was careful to school her features, but she knew that her attitude gave away her current mood. Even the thought of why the Cylons were harrying the Colonials wasn't enough to ruin her mood. There could be a thousand different reasons why. The key was if they would actually tell her the truth about them. She had been on that fabulous ship, the _Cloud Nine_. It had taken very advanced technology to create something like that. Terra had nothing compared to that ship alone.

Then there were the reports she was getting from Glennan. The flagship, _Galactica_, was decidedly primitive compared to the domed ship. Military vessels from any and all the different alliances tended to build their ships sturdy and were slow to change the technology that it used, except for the sensors and weapons. It was to be expected that _Galactica_ seemed more primitive. It could be like that for a reason. There was no word about the other ship, _Pegasus_. That ship was larger and stronger, and seemed newer. But there was always something about the older military vessels. They were like the grand old ladies of the fleets. The ones that everyone thought fondly of and that had earned their scars honorably. The _Galactica_, in a way though, reminded her of the oldest Terran actively commissioned military vessel: a floating museum in Boston Harbor, but manned by members of the US Navy.

Because she wasn't using all her available energy to make sure she wouldn't collapse suddenly, she was hyper alert to everything and everyone around her. One marine before her leading the way and the two marines that trailed her kept at a respectful distance. As she passed each door, she was able to see what was stenciled on them. It was odd to see seemingly familiar words on this decidedly alien vessel. The winding route they took eventually ended in front of a door that was stenciled "Commanding Officer". The entrance was sunken down two steps from the corridor.

"Wait here, sir," one said as he moved towards the door. After a single knock, the marine opened the door and slipped inside. Moments later, he came back out and nodded. "You can enter, sir," he said as he pushed the door open.

The room before her was something out of the history books. It was decorated the way the flag quarters that the higher British nobility had used in the previous centuries, especially seafaring naval vessels. It looked very lived in, and comfortable to some extent. The furniture in the room was well taken care of, but in places it appeared to be getting slightly threadbare. She knew this was not only Admiral Adama's office, but also where he lived. _To be living here for who knows how long. . ._ She let the thought drop as her eyes swept the room. Adama was seated at his desk and looking over a report; that was something she was all too familiar with. Just as the door closed with a solid click, Adama looked up while putting his report down. Standing up he nodded towards Mair. "Captain," he acknowledged her formally as he indicated the chairs in front of the desk.

"Thank you, Admiral," she answered in kind and took the offered chair.

"How are you doing?" Adama asked as he sat back down.

Mair let a small smile cross her face before answering, "Much better. What was it that you gave me? Our doctors and scientists will definitely want to study it."

"Later," Adama deftly deflected the question. "I feel you're not here for that particular bit of information?"

"No. . ." Mair answered slowly. "Admiralty has begun receiving reports. It seems the Cylons have found our shipping to be extremely attractive. They've completely overwhelmed two convoys. They don't know the culprit to be the Cylons, but. . ."

"You know because you know what the Cylon ships look like," Adama finished.

"Correct. I mentioned before that the upper ranks aren't going to be that happy with you bringing another problem to Terra's front doorstep, but it can't be helped." She paused, considering her next comments, "What I need to know is why they attacked in the first place."

Adama leaned back in his chair for a moment while studying her. "I can't give you any type of answer until I speak with President Roslin over this," he finally answered as he reached for the comm. "Adama, put me through to the President. . .Madam President, I need to speak with you in my office, please. . .Thank you." He terminated the call then spoke again, "Dee, have the XO report to my office." Once he was finished, he put the handset back it its cradle.

Mair knew she had hit a nerve with her questions, and it had something to do with their situation and current predicament with the Cylons.

"I can tell you their favorite tactic seems to be to jump in with overwhelming numbers and try to disable the electronic suites within the vessels they are targeting then having their raiders take care of the rest."

"I see," Mair said thoughtfully. She opened her mouth to continue but was interrupted by the door opening again. "Major Gaeta," someone announced. Mair turned around and saw the young major once again. Compared to when she had seen him last time, he appeared much more confident in the position. Gaeta was there for only a few minutes before Laura stepped inside. The Colonial President looked at the people gathered, then gave Adama a questioning look.

"Major, I want you to give Captain O'Neill a tour of the CIC," Adama said while looking at Roslin.

"Yes, sir," Felix answered, somewhat surprised at the seemingly sudden turn of events. He quickly backed out of the office area and indicated the door once Mair was on her feet. As they reached the door, Felix turned back around and asked, "How long?"

"Give us thirty minutes, Major," Adama answered.

"Yes, sir," Gaeta nodded again then brought Mair out into the corridor. "Sir, if you'll follow me?"

Mair nodded and fell into step beside him. It didn't surprise her how everything was in easy reach from where she was. What she found when she stepped into the nerve center was not what she expected, but in an odd way, it was. Glennan had given her some idea of what it looked like, but she was still unprepared at how much manpower it took to run the ship.

"We do not have much in the way of automation," Gaeta said as they entered through the bottom floor of the CIC. "What automation we do have is for the DC board," Felix said by way of showing her the alcove off the entrance.

"So, nothing is computerized?" Mair asked.

"No, we do have computers, sir. Admiral Adama refused to have them networked. That was the only reason why the _Galactica_ survived the Holocaust. She was built during the First Cylon War over forty years ago. All the battlestars at that time were non-networked because we found out the hard way what would happen when the Cylons appeared."

"So, this ship is over forty years old?"

Gaeta nodded, "Yes. Fully manned, its population is about 4500. The hanger bays easily have enough room for two full squadrons, along with all the support vessels."

_Oh my. . ._ Mair's eyes widened at the plotting table. _You have got to be kidding me. . ._ "Major, I can understand why you don't want networked computers, but this?" she asked while indicating the plotting board across from the tactical station.

"Sir, I had to network the computers one time, that action about ruined the mainframe computer when the Cylons showed up. The only way it was fixed was to actually reformat it."

_Ouch. . ._ "So if there is little automation, how are the engines directed?"

A slight smile crossed his face before he answered, "We have two people that handle the engines. Depending on the type of situation, two more can be added for better accuracy."

The rest of the tour went fairly quickly. The whole set up, though non-computerized, was perfect for the running of the ship. It was also highly efficient, which was the most surprising to the Terran captain. She was used to using computers for everything, the Colonials did it all the hard way, but they seemed stronger for it in the end. If anything, she had a much more healthy respect for the refugees and what they were able to accomplish with what little they had left. The real issue, though, was if they were going to tell her why the Cylons were relentlessly pursuing them.

The look the Colonial President gave her as she reentered the Admiral's quarters made her think twice about what was about to happen. She settled on the other chair and looked from one leader to the other. President Roslin wasn't happy, but she looked at Adama and sighed while nodding.

"Captain, you were wanting to know about the Cylons," he started slowly. "They are the results of technology gone wrong, and now they are out to completely destroy us."

_Looks like they did a pretty good job so far_. Mair commented, "Which is why there is so little automation and computers in the CIC?"

"Correct," Adama nodded. "Once the _Pegasus_ joined the fleet I had the officers on board take steps to make sure the ship would not be compromised."

"And your fighters?"

"The newer models, yes. The older models were already safeguarded."

"I see," Mair answered slowly. "Then I should tell you this. The Cylons have already taken out two of our civilian convoys. From what I've been able to gather with what happened to our convoys, is that they made the same type of tactics you described earlier. Making a sudden appearance and overwhelm their objective with their fighters."

"Correct," Adama nodded.

Mair shook her head, "The Admiralty isn't pleased that there's another force out there that's beginning to go after our shipping."

Laura closed her eyes, "I know, and I'm sorry that we got you tangled into our problems. We're just looking for a safe place to live."

"If the Cylons are out to destroy you, no place will be safe. They will eventually find you." Mair looked down for a moment before continuing, "And you cannot hide forever."

"We don't want to hide," Laura's eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm tired of running, all of us are. We just need a bit of help to get us on our feet once again."

"Madam, hiding we don't accept. Needing support to get back to being self-sufficient is something different. We're more than willing to offer manpower in support areas to get everything back up and running." Mair stopped suddenly, "But I'm not in any position to talk to you about this. You'll have to discuss your options with Ambassador Garcia." Their reactions were quite amusing to Mair. "You need to go through the proper channels to get what you need."

Laura nodded but her expression said something different. She did not like working with Garcia, especially after what just happened. "Is there any way you can stay here?"

"No, I have to formally make my report to the Admiralty about what's happened," Mair answered.

"What about Lieutenant Glennan? She's been filling in as acting security chief, a position that had been empty since the Holocaust."

Mair considered the options available to her. She really needed to recover her officer, only now did she realize how easily she had been relaying information concerning the Colonials back to her. It was perfect. Plus, if she wanted to keep getting regular reports on the Colonials, it would be much more difficult getting anyone else in. The refugees were very slow to trust, especially after what just happened. But once you earned their respect, they were much more open to new and different ideas. "What are you asking, Admiral?"

Adama looked straight at the Terran, "That Lieutenant Glennan stay on as our acting Security Chief."

Mair thought of the possible implications with leaving an officer of her caliber with the Colonials. The refugees weren't exactly an unknown, but it was close enough. Apparently they already considered her irreplaceable. Since she was a captain, she had some leeway with certain things, and this was one of them. "For now, Admiral, she can stay. Eventually I'll have to retrieve her."

"I understand," Adama answered gravely, but with a hint of a smile.

"One other thing, Admiral," Mair started with a bit of a smile. "My CMO is beside himself trying to figure out how I went from being literally bedridden to being completely healthy in only a few hours. He's also trying to isolate the antibodies that Dr. Cottle introduced into my body. Dr. Harper thinks he might be able to genetically reproduce it so more people in my condition can be helped."

"We would, but we don't have the technology available anymore," Laura shook her head sadly.

"Madam President, all you can do is go up from here," Mair answered with a slight smile.

"Captain, you will always be welcome here," Adama said as he stood up with the Terran captain.

"Thank you, Admiral," Mair nodded then took the offered hand.

Once the Terran captain was back in the corridor, Bill looked over to Laura before speaking. "At least we'll be able to keep Glennan on for now." Before she could answer him, the comm. unit sounded, and Dee's voice came across the small speaker, _"CIC to Admiral."_

"Adama," Bill answered after reaching for the handset. "I see. . .any word. . .All right. Keep me informed." He replaced the handset slowly while closing his eyes. "There's been an accident down on the planet."

TBC...


	48. Chapter 48

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 48  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-eight_**

"What happened?" Laura asked while leaning forward. "What's wrong?" she asked once again when he didn't answer.

Bill shook his head as he picked up the comm. unit once again. "Have Chief Tyrol report to my office." He turned his attention back to Laura when the comm. was placed in its cradle. "It was one of our raptors. There was one soul they were not able to identify and they want one of my officers to come down for that."

Laura shook her head slowly. Ever since they had arrived at Pictavia everything seemed to be smooth and quiet. The sudden accident had seemed to jar her out of her growing complacency. "Is that the reason you want Tyrol to go down?"

"No." For a time he stayed silent, then continued, "I have something different in mind for him." They waited for a little bit more before he appeared. Tyrol was more curious than worried at the sudden request. "Chief, I need you to go down to the planet. There's been an accident involving one of our raptors."

"Yes, sir," the senior noncom answered then left quickly after he was dismissed.

When they were alone once again, Laura paused before speaking, "I know that look."

"I'm sorry, I need to be alone."

Laura contemplated his words for a moment. "I understand," she finally answered. Getting up, she kissed his cheek, "You know where I'll be," and left.

Adama looked at his desk debating on what he had to do. He knew he had to send Gaeta down there, he was the only one of his officers that had a good command of the English language. "Gaeta," he said over the comm., "I need you to report to my office."

"There's been an accident," he started once Felix was settled in one of the available chairs.

"What do you mean 'accident'?" Gaeta asked. He knew nothing about any recent accidents.

"One of our raptors crashed in a highly wooded area. The planetary officials have not released any names of the victims yet, but it was one of our ships."

Gaeta looked down to his hands. "The only raptor I know of that's planetside was the one taking Lieutenant Glennan. . ." his voice faded when he saw the look on Adama's face. "Is there any word?" he asked, vainly trying to keep his voice steady.

Adama shook his head. "Not yet. I'd like you to go down to find out any information concerning this. Plus, if the pilot survived, the doctors would need a translator."

Gaeta answered somewhat woodenly, "Yes, sir. Where do I need to go?"

"Avalon. I'll make sure that you're cleared." Adama hesitated, then continued, "There's no word if she's alive or not."

Felix looked down at his hands for a moment, struggling to keep his composure. "Yes, sir," he finally answered.

Adama nodded, "Good. You're dismissed."

Gaeta nodded, then got to his feet. He barely remembered to brace himself before leaving the cabin. When he was alone, Adama let his shoulders slump slightly; he hated doing that.

Felix stood out in the corridor, completely lost as to what to do. The only thing that was going through his mind was if she was alive or not. Thinking it would be best for now, he went back to his cabin and retrieved the pda. Even though it had English tutorial lessons, it also had the translation program. Over the course of several months that program had become invaluable to him. Just as he was leaving, he took the box that held his personal idols and tucked it under his arm. While on his way to the hanger thought about the possible identification of the pilot. Angela had never mentioned who he or she was, she probably didn't even think to check the roster that day. Then again, why would she? Angela wasn't a pilot, she worked security.

The trip back down to the planet was over before he realized, and he was soon out on the ground and walking briskly over to a waiting ground transport. Climbing in, he said the name of the hospital curtly and then sat back. Only then did he realize that he had paid no attention to the driver. Soon enough, his mind was wandering once again. He looked out the windows, unseeing.

By the time he set foot inside the hospital, he had finally accepted what he would find here and what he expected to happen. He still had no word about the condition of the pilot, at least he thought it was the pilot. For a moment he looked around somewhat lost as to where he needed to go. Seeing what reminded him of a front desk, he went over to it and asked, 'There were maybe two people brought in that were critical?'

The man sitting behind the desk looked at him for a moment before answering, 'You're one of the Colonials?'

Distracted by his thoughts, it took Felix a moment to respond. 'Yes, I am. I am Major Gaeta, and I was told one of our pilots was taken here. I'm here to identify him or her.'

'Well, Major. We've got one Jane Doe that just came out of surgery who's in ICU now,' he answered while looking through the records on the computer screen. 'There was also one RN brought in at the same time. She's been in surgery for two hours, it's not known when she'll be out.'

'Jane Doe? I don't understand that,' Felix shook his head.

'Oh, that's the name we give unidentified patients when they arrive.'

_Racetrack_, she was one of their few female raptor pilots that was participating in civilian shuttle runs. 'Where can I identify the pilot?'

'Here, if you can give proof of who she is,' the tech answered.

'Okay,' Felix pulled out the pda. He had been playing with it enough to know how to be able to save things like personnel information. The process of filling out the facesheet went fairly quickly.

'You know, I thought all of you didn't know a word of English.'

'There's only a few others in the fleet that have at least some command of this language.' He hesitated before continuing, 'What about the RN?'

'Surgery's up on the third floor. Just go around the corner here to the elevators and push the arrow 'up' - -'

'I think I can figure it out easily enough,' Felix answered somewhat curtly. He was getting tired of standing here and doing nothing. He really wanted to be there when Angela got out of surgery.

'ICU's on the same floor, sir.'

It was only then when he realized how he had sounded to the technician. 'I am sorry. It has been a long day,' Gaeta apologized.

'I understand. If you have any questions, you can go to the closest desk and the nurses should be able to answer them.'

The Colonial officer nodded, then went around the corner to the elevators. They were easy enough to use and soon he found himself on the third floor. Stepping into the corridor, he followed the signs for surgery and soon found himself in a comfortable waiting room. It was only then that it finally hit him what just happened, or still could. He sank down in an available chair and put his face in his hands, not wanting to deal with everyone around him.

* * *

Admiral Jeremiah Orbach walked through the door and into the nicely furnished office. This address was not what he had been expecting. All he wanted to do was to speak to the ambassador and then the Colonial military. It didn't seem right that he would be speaking to the ambassador to the Colonials in Avalon and not in their new settlement. He was here to first talk to the ambassador and then the Colonials about the Cylons. Basically, he just wanted to know what's going on. Over the years he had always found it hard dealing with members of the EU. Most were all right, but there were a few who that felt they deserved to be treated with more respect than what was due.

Now he had to deal with another one. Orbach had no idea what to expect. 'Admiral Orbach to see the Ambassador,' he told the receptionist. For a moment he wondered if the woman was from the planet, or if she came from Earth. It didn't matter, since the door was already opening up to let him in. 'He will see you now,' she said in a slightly accented voice. Not thinking anything of it, he nodded, "Thank you.'

Entering the office, he found it as nicely furnished as the reception area. Garcia stood up and walked around the desk while holding out a hand. 'Admiral Orbach, it is good to meet you. I was informed of your pending arrival yesterday.'

Jeremiah took the offered hand while they moved over to a seating area.

'So, Admiral. What can I do for you?'

'You can tell me what you know about the Colonials' mindset.' Orbach answered easily enough. The ambassador's reaction, though, was quite surprising to the military official.

'They are very closed minded,' Garcia answered somewhat darkly.

'That also depends on what they were offered. Pictavia is a developed world, and a full member of the UK. Why would they go here?'

For a moment Garcia shifted uncomfortably, 'There were. . .issues. . . I have no idea how they found out about this world.'

'But they did find out, and now they're here. Do you know if they are planning to settle here permanently?'

Garcia shook his head, 'There has been no word on that.'

'Which reminds me, Mr. Ambassador. Why are you here,' he indicated the room, 'rather than in the Colonial settlement?'

'Have you tried working without any infrastructure? It's almost impossible to get anything done!'

'Sir, it doesn't look right to have you here,' Jeremiah shook his head. 'They need to know that they are equal to any and all alliance members. To do that, you need to be there with them.'

'Which means learning their language,' Garcia muttered.

'If need be, yes. Isn't that what Spain requires for all ambassadors that represent their country to the Spanish Court?'

Garcia slowly nodded. The Spaniard really didn't want to leave the city, but he wanted to keep face. And to keep face, he knew he was going to have to move out to the settlement.

'Good. I'm heading out there after I leave from here. I hope to see you around,' Orbach smiled as he stood up.

'Of course, Admiral,' Garcia smiled graciously as he rose to his feet.

Orbach didn't care what Garcia was going to do, as long as he went back into the Colonial settlement. What the Spaniard was doing in Avalon made the Terrans look bad, and that was something he did not want to happen.

The trip up to the Colonial ships went rather quickly. He was still curious about the two mammoth warships. He had never seen that particular design before. Not only was it a destroyer, but it was also a carrier at the same time. The ship looked like it had been through hell. Landing was smooth enough and soon he found himself inside a hanger area. Orbach had made sure that the Colonial Admiral knew he was coming, it was just common courtesy.

There was word that some could speak English, but not many. That would make this meeting interesting. Once they were secured, he got up and pulled off his covering and stuck it under his arm. He was the only one on the shuttle, so he immediately went over and released the seal on the door. The room he entered, was very large and clean. Several of the Colonial fighters were in varying stages of repair. That wasn't what he was interested in. There were a group of officers standing off to the side, obviously waiting for him. There was one that wasn't military in the group. The uniforms that the officers were wearing were of simple design. It was impossible for him to see what each officer's rank was just by looking. _Here goes._ 'Admiral Jeremiah Orbach. Permission to come aboard?'

There was a hesitation before the civilian turned and said something to the older officer of the group, who nodded in answer. At that moment it really struck home to him that they weren't from Earth at all and didn't know English. What shocked him was what happened next. The civilian pulled out a pda and scribbled something down. 'Admiral Adama grants you permission to come aboard.'

For a moment, Orbach had no idea what he needed to do and just stood there. Admiral Adama dismissed the rest of the officers then used his hand in an obvious sign for him to follow. He said something else to the civilian as they were leaving the hanger.

'Sir, we are going to meet with President Roslin in her office.'

Orbach nodded as he kept in line with Admiral Adama as the three left the hanger. The older man seemed hard, but he figured it was the position that had made him that way. The room he eventually found himself in held what looked like a crippled liner. On the way the civilian mentioned that it was the seat of the civilian government. 'And why are you here?' Orbach finally asked the civilian just as they reached the liner.

'Because I am President Roslin's personal aide.'

The Colonial President's office was once the first class section. A simple desk was set up and two flags were in each corner. An attractive older woman with deep red hair stood up from behind the desk and said with a heavy accent, 'Welcome. . .Admiral.'

'Thank you, Madam President,' he answered automatically. Her quizzical reaction made him realize that she didn't know English, but had rehearsed her greeting. _This will be interesting_.

'Admiral, I can understand better than speaking this language,' the civilian commented.

Jeremiah nodded. _At least something._ 'Madam President, I'm here because of the reports we've been receiving about the Cylons.' He hesitated when a slightly guilty look flirted across her face before disappearing quickly.

It was Admiral Adama who answered, "For something like that there needs to be a formal briefing."

_Even better,_ he thought once he understood. 'Admiral, Madam President, let me know the time and place and I can make sure I will be here with my chief-of-staff.'

Adama said something again to the presidential aide, he never did say his name, then got to his feet.

'Admiral Orbach, they will talk,' the aide explained.

Nodding, Jeremiah sat back down in his seat and waited. Their discussion was short and heated, but quickly came to a consensus. When they sat back down, it was Roslin who spoke, "The formal meeting will be at this time tomorrow."

Orbach looked at his watch while her words were being translated. 'Madam President, Admiral Adama, as I mentioned earlier, I will make sure that I and my chief-of-staff will be here for the briefing.'

'Admiral Orbach, I'm sorry about the translation problems. The one Colonial officer that had a good grasp of your language is on the planet and will not be available for tomorrow's formal briefing.'

Orbach looked at the presidential aide with more than curiosity. Why would that officer be planetside when he had given the Colonials plenty of time to prepare for the initial meeting?

TBC...


	49. Chapter 49

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 49  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Forty-nine_**

Orbach looked out the window of the shuttle he had appropriated. Word had filtered down that some of the small Colonial ships had been grounded until further notice. When he had arrived back in his office earlier in the day, he'd had his aide quietly look into what had happened. There was also no sign of a decent translator. Their Presidential aide had mentioned that one of their officers was on the planet, but he had not said why. Lieutenant Commander Erbe had come back fairly quickly with a plausible reason, which tied into why the smaller Colonial vessels were grounded. There had been some type of accident, and the officer was at the hospital. The reports coming out stated that there had been only two survivors, one a member of the RN and the other the Colonial pilot.

If the officer was planetside, then he or she had to have some translation skills, Jeremiah surmised. There was no word on the injuries sustained by the survivors, which made him wonder why someone with those particular skills was needed in the first place. If the pilot was unconscious, then it wouldn't be feasible to have the officer in a position where he or she wasn't truly needed.

'Sir, we're coming up on the _HMS__Ddoraig Goch_,' the pilot said over his shoulder.

Jeremiah nodded absently as he looked through his things, making sure he hadn't forget anything. He knew the specs of the ship he was about to set foot on, along with her captain. Rumors were swirling around that Captain O'Neill had been miraculously healed. It was common knowledge that she had health issues, but it had never interfered with her ability to command. He also knew she was due to meet with the Admiralty concerning that very same thing, her physical condition. If she was healed, then he would make sure that she was part of the task force he was slowly putting together. Orbach only hoped that he finished it in time before they were attacked once again. Right now, it was only the shipping that was preyed upon.

It took several minutes to get through the general entrance procedures and he eventually was escorted by Captain O'Bryan into O'Neill's office. 'I'm sorry, Admiral, but Captain O'Neill was planetside when we received word of you wanting to meet with her. Her shuttle landed right after yours and she should be here at any time.'

'Captain, I heard about the accident. The RN personnel, is it anyone you know?' Orbach set his attaché case down beside one of the comfortable chairs.

Jack nodded. 'Yes, sir. She. . .wa- uh. . .is second to our Security Officer.'

Jeremiah's eyes narrowed slightly at the lower officer's admission.

'Sir, the Captain can explain it to you better than I can,' Jack backtracked slightly.

'Don't worry, Captain,' Orbach answered easily, though fully aware of the issue.

'Admiral,' Mair smiled while moving smartly through the door, though out of breath. 'I'm sorry I wasn't there to meet you, sir. My shuttle got moved behind yours in the landing pattern.'

One look at her and he could tell she looked better than she had in years. Stopping before him she braced herself and saluted. When he returned it, she relaxed and moved around the desk to her chair. Orbach could tell she had spent the last day or two planetside, and was beginning to pay the consequences for her actions. 'That's understandable, O'Neill,' he answered as he sat down. 'Rumor also has it that you agreed to a highly experimental procedure.'

Mair flushed slightly as she dropped her uniform jacket on the back of her chair. Sitting down, she gave him a slightly guilty look. 'Admiral, when you're in constant pain, you'll do anything possible just to end it. I almost forgot what it felt like to not have this dull aching pain deep in my muscles and joints. Afterwards I had a thorough examination from my CMO. He trying to figure out what the Colonials did to get rid of my fibromyalgia.' Leaning back, she shifted uncomfortably for a moment before settling down. 'Sir, is this about the upcoming meeting with the Colonials?' she asked.

'Partly.' Jeremiah gave her a slightly amused look. Her nose and cheekbones had a slightly pinkish tinge to them. He figured her shoulders were even worse than that.

Mair gave him a hint of a nod then looked towards Jack. 'That'll be all,' she addressed her executive officer. Once O'Bryan was gone and the door closed she turned her attention back towards Orbach. 'Anything else you wanted to ask me, sir?'

'Did you spend any time at the hospital?'

'Yes, I did,' Mair answered slowly. Angela was still very critical. She knew for a fact that if it weren't for today's medical technology, the lieutenant would not have survived. The pilot wasn't much better. O'Neill almost hadn't notice that one of the Colonials was there. He seemed overly worried about both of the survivors. Not having the time to see what was really going on, she had left after making sure Glennan was still alive while meeting with her parents. She'd check up on her later.

'Captain, the hospital hasn't released the names of the accident victims yet. Who is the servicewoman?' Jeremiah leaned down to pick up his attaché case.

'It's Lieutenant Glennan. She's barely hanging on at the moment.'

'I see.'

'Your XO said she was part of your security detail. I was under the assumption that it was one of the Colonial's smaller crafts that had crashed.'

Mair nodded, 'It was. This was in my report to the Admiralty, but if you haven't had time to scan through it, I'll explain.' She paused when she realized that that report was one of the ones that probably hadn't gotten through. 'The Colonials were the ones that stumbled across my position. I was going to leave them alone. Once the language issues presented itself, I decided to stay in the nebula for a little longer, mostly out of curiosity. That's when they were attacked by what I now know as the Cylons. So it was either they be destroyed, or I help them.'

'And you opted to help them?' The question ended up being more of a statement.

'Yes, sir.' Mair nodded. 'Only after then did I decide to meet with them. I needed to know what was going on. I proposed to have a liaison situation, and I had Glennan stay with them, partly because I wanted eyes and ears inside to know if they were a danger to us. I also was fortunate to have her because she's trained in infiltration.'

'So, it was the EU's meddling, that had them come here,' Jeremiah commented with some amount of disgust.

'Yes, sir. They were trying to treat them as being subservant to their interests when they're not. They were _not_ happy with the official liaison, and had him removed because he was caught taking pictures of their technology.'

_Serves him or her right,_ Orbach mused. 'So once the official liaison was removed, Glennan took over once again?'

'Yes, sir. All of this you should be available in the reports I've been filing with the Admiralty.' Turning her attention to her own computer, Mair moved several files around then asked, 'Can I see what files you do have?'

Nodding, Orbach pulled up the file listing on his computer. His listing was missing several of the more technical files that had been forwarded on to the Admiralty. 'Very interesting. It seems that there are people that don't want that information sent to the right people.'

'I would seem, sir,' she answered darkly. She rubbed the back of her neck while thinking. 'Sir, it looks like we'll have to crossdeck. It's easier with smaller handhelds. . .' she faded while he set his computer onto the desk. 'Only after I met with the Colonials did the situation with my reports intensify. I am not sure how many of them reached the right people.' Mair shook her head helplessly.

'But manageable,' Orbach answered. Once the computers were in direct connection with each other, it was a simple procedure to transfer the files. 'I'll check over the reports after we meet with the Colonial leaders. And I'll look into what's going on with your email getting lost in cyberspace.'

Eventually Jeremiah put his computer back in his attaché case then stood up. 'I've called for a formal briefing with the Colonial leadership tomorrow. I want both you and your Executive Officer there.'

'Yes, sir,' Mair rose to her feet and moved back around the desk. 'We will be ready.' Stopping in front of him, she held out her hand as if to shake his. Before he could grasp it, she quickly pulled back. For a moment he looked at her in confusion until she took a step towards him. Without thinking, he opened his arms and she came to him. 'No pain?' he finally asked.

Mair shook her head, 'Yes, Jerry. No pain.' For a minute, she stood there reveling in how it felt to be in his arms again. It had been so long that she had literally forgotten how it felt to be held.

* * *

Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol set foot out of the raptor and looked into the tangled forest in front of him. "Where is it?" he muttered as he slowly moved around the raptor. They were on the edge of a clearing, but he never noticed it. A short distance away was the raptor, or what was left of it. The rescue personnel had brought out the heavy stuff to cut through the tough skin of the ship to reach the injured. They had left the wreckage for the Colonials to take possession.

The crippled raptor dug a trail through the clearing and was stopped by one of the trees close to the edge of the heavy undergrowth. "Frak," he muttered as he ran his hand through his hair. This was not good. The raptor looked like it wasn't going to fly again. As he neared it, his eyes started darting over the different areas of the downed craft looking for anything that could give him a clue as to what happened. The most glaring sign was the complete absence of the scram intake next to the engine. The area just forward of the missing scram was heavily scorched, as if to state that there was some type of explosion. "This is not good," he muttered as he walked around the aft section. Both engines were heavily singed. The raptor must have left a fire trail as it plummeted to the ground. The only reason why there were had been survivors, was its durability. On the other side, the wing was streaked with some form of fluid. The main hydraulic systems were housed in the same area.

There wasn't much more to look for in Tyrol's estimation. A thorough inspection would only verify what he thought went wrong. The chief petty officer turned around and quickly went back to the raptor he came down in and climbed inside to reach the comm. "_Galactica_, this is Tyrol. I need to speak with the Admiral."

_"Stand by,"_ the comm. officer answered.

_"What did you find, Chief?"_ Adama's gruff voice came across the speakers.

"Sir, it looks like a hydraulic failure. I am requesting that all the _Galactica_'s raptors grounded until I know for sure what it is that caused the failure."

There was a pause before Adama answered, _"I see."_

"I also want a shuttle to get what's left of the raptor up to the _Galactica_. I feel better checking her over on board then down here."

_"You'll have it Chief. And all of the _Galactica_'s raptors will be grounded until we know they're safe to fly."_

"Thank you, sir," Tyrol answered then put the comm. up. "All right! Let's get her ready to travel!" he called out as he jumped down from the raptor wing.

* * *

_Frak_. That hadn't been what Adama was wanting to hear. Tyrol's request to ground the _Galactica_'s raptors was a smart move. They had been so short staffed and short on supplies that some maintenance work had to be skipped. The _Pegasus_'s raptors were in better condition. For now they would have to use the other battlestar's small crafts. Though the shuttles seemed all right. Adama decided to have the shuttles checked out just in case. With the _Galactica_'s engines having their much needed overhaul, and the planetary defenses helping, it gave the men and women under him much needed rest. They had been working nonstop for almost a year. To add to that, Laura had decided to run for President. The only person that would give her any sort of competition was Zarek. The Vice President, though, was hard to read.

Adama rubbed his face in his hands. That would be dealt with later. Now he had to make sure that everything was prepared in the Ward Room for Admiral Orbach's arrival. Yesterday's meeting had been more of a meet and greet affair. This time it would be at least semi-formal. After a moment he picked up the comm. unit. "Dee, I need Gaeta back up here. . .I know he's planetside right now." Adama put the comm. unit back in its cradle and rubbed his face once again. Things were not going well at all, added to the fact that he needed to prepare for the coming meeting.

The stewards were just about finished prepping the Ward Room when Gaeta arrived on the _Galactica_. Adama could tell the younger officer was having a hard time dealing with the emotional rollercoaster the accident had created. He hadn't learned how to detach himself from his personal life yet. If the relationship was to continue, then he would have to learn how to do that. Mind you, Adama could tell he was doing a fine job with what little experience he did have. He was going to have to talk to him about it. When the door opened, he looked up. "Good, you're here," he said as he indicated one of the chairs.

Felix looked at his hands as he sat down. "Racetrack woke up before I left the hospital," he reported.

"Good, and Lieutenant Glennan?"

"Critical. And she hasn't come around yet." Gaeta closed his eyes while taking a deep breath.

"Major Gaeta, I know you want to be down there, but you are a Colonial Officer first and foremost. I need you here."

Felix's head snapped up while he swallowed hard. "Yes, sir," he answered softly.

Adama's expression softened as he continued, "Felix, you need to learn how to detach yourself from your personal issues."

"Sir, I - -"

Adama shook his head, "I understand your reasons Felix, but your duty as my executive officer and unofficial translator is more important at the current time. Arrangements will be made for you to go down during your off duty hours so you can visit her."

Felix looked down to his hands again before answering, "Yes, sir."

"Admiral Orbach and his staff will be here in thirty minutes. I need you to help with his staff to make sure he will have everything he needs. This will also be a semi-formal meeting, so I expect to see you in your grays. The stewards should have the Ward Room finished by now."

"Who else will be at the meeting?"

"President Roslin, along with Commander Tigh and Captain O'Neill."

Gaeta nodded as he straightened his back. "Yes, sir," he answered again.

"Good," Adama gave him a slight smile. "You're dismissed, Major."

Felix nodded and rose to his feet. Once he was gone, Bill closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. He was doing quite well, but he was still young.

TBC...


	50. Chapter 50

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 50  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Fifty_**

Felix stood in the hanger area, feeling slightly uncomfortable in his formal gray uniform. Commander Tigh had already arrived, and was talking to Adama. All they were waiting for were the Terrans. As he caught sight of the arriving shuttle he couldn't help but think of Angela. Every time he pushed the images away, they seemed to come back even stronger with a vengeance. _Please_, he sighed.

Somehow he managed to push it to the back of his mind as the Terran shuttle's door opened. The officer that stepped out was taller than he, but then again, many officers were taller than he was. 'Commander Logan, Admiral Orbach's Chief-of-staff. Permission to come aboard?' the Terran asked.

'Permission granted,' Gaeta answered while nodding his head. They stood there for a moment before Gaeta continued, 'Welcome on board. I am the Executive Officer, Major Gaeta.' Logan's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. 'If you will come this way,' Gaeta continued as he swept his arm in the direction they were to move.

'Major, I would like to see the facilities, and go over any protocol issues, along with coordinating everything in preparation for Admiral Orbach's arrival.'

'It should not take too long, Commander.' Gaeta paused before continuing, 'We should be finished in plenty of time. I will be going in a different way because of the time limits.'

The trip didn't take very long, but long enough for Felix to get slightly distracted from the images that kept coming back. Just as they reached the Ward Room he was finally able to forcefully push them to the back of his mind. The younger officer had no idea he was being watched closely. The inspection and discussion of the protocol issues went fairly quickly and they left the stewards to put the finishing touches on the room.

Gaeta shook his head, 'We are not prepared for formal discussions with Admiral Orbach.'

'Don't worry, Major. This is just a first meeting of the two sides. No issues will be discussed unless someone brings something up in conversation.'

Without realizing it, Gaeta slipped into the Colonial language, "Good."

Logan looked at the younger officer, 'What?'

'Sorry about that,' Felix gave him a wan smile.

Logan let it drop as they went back to the hanger deck. For the Terran the trip back was just as enlightening as it was going to the Ward Room. He learned a lot about the condition of the Colonial military just from what he observed in the corridors. There was a definite lack of personnel, and what few members of the crew the military vessel he saw were either very young or almost to retirement age. 'Major, I will head back to the _Goch_ and let the Admiral know that everything is ready. Let you commanding officer know he'll be over in about thirty minutes.'

Gaeta nodded and watched as the Terran commander boarded the shuttle. When it was gone, he turned around and left the hanger. His mind was so preoccupied that he found himself in front of Adama's quarters with no clear recollection of traveling the corridors that had led him there. The guards quickly let him through and he looked around the quarters for a moment. "Commander Logan stated that Admiral Orbach will be here in two hours."

"Commander Logan?" Tigh asked in surprise.

"Sir, he's the Terran Admiral's Chief-of-Staff," Gaeta answered suddenly tired. He did not want to be there.

"Why don't you go and rest for an hour," Laura said in an almost motherly tone. Without thinking he turned around and went out the door.

Laura stepped closer to Adama. "How much sleep has he had in the last few days?" she asked in an undertone.

Adama looked at Gaeta before answering, "Little, if any."

"Well, I think you're pushing him too hard," she pointed out.

"I'm not the one pushing him. He's doing it by himself." He shook his head.

Laura nodded slowly, "Have you decided on what to do?"

"I'll talk to him afterwards."

* * *

The reception was a semi-formal affair designed to allow both sides to meet each other in a social, rather than political, atmosphere. It wasn't that much of a surprise to see Captain O'Neill accompany the American admiral. What was unexpected was Captain Donelson. Donelson had his ship escort the _Goch_ to the Pictavian system. Both were now undergoing routine maintenance while waiting for word from the Admiralty on their new orders.

Orbach stopped in front of Adama. The Colonial Admiral didn't need height to show he was in control, it exuded from him. "Permission to come a board?" he stumbled slightly over the foreign words.

O'Neill had obviously coached him on the formal greeting. It was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. "Permission granted," Adama answered with a slight smile. "Welcome to the _Galactica_." O'Neill whispered something to Orbach, who nodded to Adama.

"If you will come with me?" Adama directed the group to the nearest corridor. It led into the ship itself. Within a few minutes of their arrival, they were in the Ward Room. Thirteen flags were spaced at regular intervals on the far wall. Pictures were placed decoratively around the room. The tables were pushed to the far wall, leaving a large open space in the middle. One of the tables had a variety of delicacies unique to each colony.

Soon enough President Roslin made her appearance, escorted by her senior aide. It was quickly realized that Captain O'Neill was the only one that could speak the Colonials language. Donelson was in the same position that Admiral Orbach was in. He could use pat phrases only after some initial coaching. Then there was Major Gaeta. He might have been there physically, but he was still distracted. It was also beginning to affect his ability to perform his duties.

The settling process for the refugees was going somewhat slowly, but the planetary government thought it was better for whole families to move down instead of everyone demanding to land and set up a household. What kept them on board was the slim knowledge that each house was set up and fully functioning before a family could move in. Once the families were planetside, the construction workers worked as fast as they could so that decent housing for the single population would be ready as soon as possible. Word went out over the wireless that it would take at least two more weeks before those were ready. The clinic had been completed for some time, and when those who didn't have housing yet went to visit the doctor, they were given a tour of the burgeoning city. Once finished, the civilians would be able to pick up their lives. The one problem was the economy. Except for the black market, there was almost nothing. The food stores and clothing stores in Avalon had agreed to build branches in the new community and to accept not only the pict dollar, but the colonial credit as well. What was offered in the stores would be the same price. To make things easier, the credit and dollar were slaved together for the time being.

"Admiral, you never really mentioned why these Cylons are attempting to destroy you," Mair stated.

Adama had known she would bring up that particular subject. Neither he or Roslin had mentioned the real reasons why, only that they were being chased from their homes. He had also warned the President that the Terrans would eventually want to know why they were chased from their homes. "Captain, before I can answer your questions I need to talk to President Roslin."

"Good. Before we do anything more the Terran government does like to know what it's getting into."

Adama nodded, fully aware of what O'Neill really meant even when her tone of voice was pleasant. "Which I am fully aware of Captain," he answered then backed away when Orbach came over to their position. He was looking at both of them with a hint of curiosity, but that was it. Bill eventually found Laura a few feet away, looking at him. Gaeta was off to the side, still looking miserable. "Madam President," he started softly. The volume and tone surprised her more than anything. "Captain O'Neill has specifically asked about the Cylons."

"I don't want to talk about that subject here, the place is too open and there are some Terrans who would understand."

"We can't hold off forever; they do want to know what's going on," he answered calmly.

Laura sighed, "I know, Bill. We can talk about the cylons and our options after the reception."

Adama nodded while letting his gase sweep around the small group gathered. He was surprised that even with the language barrior, Tigh seemed to be getting along well with the other Terran captain who had come. Mark Donelson was writing something down on his pda with a grin on his face. "This should be interesting," he quietly commented to Laura.

"What?" she asked as she looked around.

"Saul with one of the Terran captains. I'm almost afraid of what will come out of it," he answered with a wry grin.

Laura gave him an equally wry grin. "You're right about that."

oOo

Laura sat down on the couch with a sigh. "At least that's over with," she muttered.

"It was enlightening," Bill answered as he handed her a glass.

"What? With Saul?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"That. . .and how O'Neill brought up the question about the Cylons early on in the reception."

"Oh, that. Right," she sighed as she closed her eyes. "You never mentioned your thoughts about the Terran Admiral." She lolled her head in his direction and waited for his response.

"I'm not sure yet. Like Captain O'Neill, I wasn't able to read him that well. He seems nice enough on the outside." Bill shook his head. "I don't want to take any chances." He looked down to his glass, contemplating it for a moment. "Then there are the Cylons."

"Right." Laura nodded noncommittally.

"Next time O'Neill asks, I will tell her."

"About the Cylons?" Laura looked at him sharply, but backed down when she saw his look.

"Yes." He was about to say something more when the door to the corridor opened up. The marine on guard snapped to attention, "Admiral, Chief Petty Officer Tyrol to see you."

Leaving his glass on the coffee table, Adama stood up and moved towards the door. "Let him in." He glanced back and saw Laura reach for one of her folders.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Chief?" Adama answered as he brought his attention back to the younger noncom.

"I was able to diagnose the problem with the crashed raptor. It was a catastrophic hydraulic failure, most likely due to lack of maintenance and metal fatigue." Tyrol looked down for a moment. His people had been so overwhelmed that the vipers were the ones to get the maintenance before the raptors. This raptor was used mainly as a shuttle for the smaller Colonial vessels.

_Frak. I do not need this._ "All right. I want them up to date on maintenance and flight ready as soon as possible. If you're short on parts, make a list and I'll see to it that you get what you need."

"Yes, sir," Tyrol nodded quickly.

"Good. You're dismissed," Adama ended the short conversation. He sat down when they were alone once again.

"Well, that's just great, Bill. What are we going to do?" Laura asked while pulling off her glasses.

"The only thing we can do. Have them grounded until they pass all safety inspections." He sat down beside her once again.

Laura was silent for a moment before asking, "So, what am I going to use as transport?"

"The repairs on _Colonial One_ are almost finished. Until it's finished and we can get the ship planetside, we'll have to use the _Pegasus_'s raptors. I'll have Saul make sure those also pass safety inspections." He reached over and rubbed her back.

"And Gaeta? He seemed very distracted. Any word?"

Bill shook his head. "No." He looked off to the side. "I'll make sure he has a special dispensation to go planetside. Racetrack is down there, as well."

"How's she doing?" Laura asked.

"Better, Gaeta reported that she regained consciousness."

"That's good. With the population as low as it is, everyone is important."

* * *

Orbach walked into his office the next morning appearing, somewhat relaxed. The progress that had been made just from the initial meeting and followup reception was very encouraging. The Colonials were holding something back; Captain O'Neill had said as much. Logan came in with a knowing look on his face, but he ignored it.

'Commander, I want you to draw up the paperwork for me to request a flag ship.'

'Yes, sir,' he answered. 'Which one did you have in mind?'

'The _Goch_.' Orbach qualified by continuing, 'I need someone that can communicate with the Colonials without any problems. Captain O'Neill has proven to me that she's the officer for the position.'

Logan nodded while taking some notes. 'Yes, sir. Anything else?'

'I'd like to see the initial offer Ambassador Garcia placed on the table.'

TBC...


	51. Chapter 51 Interlude

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 51  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Fifty-one (interlude 1)_**

"This is not good," Cavil looked down at the console before him. There was plenty of room for the other models to gather.

"Of course it's not good!" a Three hissed. "Not only have we lost the fleet, but we've lost several models. Look!" She projected images from the skirmish that had just taken place. Being outmaneuvered by an unknown race was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Anything?" Cavil turned to one of the Eights.

"I told you, she disconnected herself. I have no way of reaching her."

It had taken several hours of intense work to get rid of the computer virus that had been sent during that particular skirmish. "Whatever they sent, it knew how to get into our systems," a Doral model spoke.

"Let's not get in over our heads. First things first. Do we know who these people are?"

"No," several spoke at the same time.

"Finding out who they are should be our first goal. Next, we need to find out why the humans are with them."

"How?" Three asked.

"By this," Cavil focused the image on a group of ships. "These look like they could be for supplies. They're relatively unprotected, so it should be fairly simple to take them out."

"But not before we get much needed information from them, like who they are," Three added.

"True, true."

"It is God's will," Six spoke for the first time. "Therefore, we will succeed."

* * *

Felix woke with a start, covered in sweat and breathing hard. "It was only a dream," he muttered as he rubbed his face. "Gods, please only a dream." His cabin was dark, except for the runner lights along the floor against the bulkheads. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his short hair. What was worse was that he could do nothing about it. At least the Admiral would have told him if anything had changed.

It was only after he managed to get his breathing under control that he even began to think about what he could do to help. He was only allowed to go down to visit once a week, which wasn't enough in his estimation. If it had been his choice, he'd be there every day, but it wasn't. The Admiral needed him on board, more so now with his skills in speaking English. Without thinking, he twisted around and turned on the small lamp. The small bulb splashed enough light throughout the cabin to prevent anyone from tripping over anything. The lamp was situated between two items, his small clock and a somewhat nondescript box. It was the box he reached for this time.

Setting it on his lap, he looked at it for several long moments. Like many others, he did believe in the gods of his youth. Sometimes they were all he had to hold onto. President Roslin, though, took it a bit far by saying she was a prophet. Opening it revealed the rich velvet material that enveloped the idols tucked in its soft folds. He had received the box and idols during the traditional coming of age ceremony. The ring was forever lost back on Leonis. He had had it replaced as soon as it was humanly possible. Over the years he had changed out the traditional senior idols for the ones he felt more of a connection with. There were two from the original set he held onto, and that was Athena, his patron, and Apollo. Athena knew next to nothing about healing, but he knew he could easily offend her if he didn't start with her.

Dipping his hand into the box, he slowly removed the material and unfolded it to reveal his personal idols. He rarely had time anymore to make even a quick stop at any of the ship shrines; no one had the time anymore. Felix took the two small idols and gently held them while closing the box. The bed before him was flat enough so he could make an altar with the box and material. Once properly situated, he gently placed the two icons on the expensive material, and looked at them for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Athena, patron of wisdom, hear my prayers," he started the traditional chant. "I call on you to bless Angela for she has chosen the path of the warrior woman. I also call on you to give her the skill to make war, and wisdom to know when not to. Apollo, god of healing, hear my prayer. I call on you for your healing power for her healing. I also call on you to look after Margaret and her healing." Feeling like he was finished he leaned back and sighed. Just as he was reaching for the idols he remembered that Angela had her own belief system. The problem was, he had no idea who she believed in.

Thinking it would be very bad, and offend her god if he forgot to include him or her, he closed his eyes to think for a moment. "I do not know who you are, but I do know she has her own beliefs. . ." he hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to continue, "I call on your healing power to restore her health."

* * *

'Sir, Ambassador Garcia's office has finally sent over the initial offer,' Lieutenant Commander Kimberly Erbe stepped into Orbach's office and handed him a small case.

'Thank you, Commander,' he glanced at her and what she handed over. _Not much of a proposal_. Once she was dismissed, he opened it up. Garcia wasn't the kind of person to have any type of document coming from his office to be unprofessional looking. This one looked like it had been hastily drawn up. It looked good, but didn't have the professional quality his documents normally had. 'This is interesting,' he muttered as he looked at it a little bit more carefully. The Spaniard might not have had the time to get everything perfect, he mused. Then again, he had read worse quality proposals before.

As he worked his way through the single document his eyes began to narrow. Eventually he shoved it away. _He did not. . ._

He deliberately closed his eyes and took a deep calming breath. Yelling at the officers under him might make him feel better, but not anyone else. Once he felt sufficiently calmed down he called his chief-of-staff, 'Logan, I want you to contact Prime Minister Hamilton and Admiral Jackson. I'd like to have a meeting with them about their new visitors and what can be done to help both sides.'

TBC...


	52. Chapter 52

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 52  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Fifty-two_**

Felix Gaeta slowly walked through the hospital corridors. It had been several long days since he had been there. The first thing he was going to do, though, was to check on Racetrack. In a way it bothered him that there was no one to sit with her. That being the case, he decided to bring the pda Angela had given him early on, the same one that had English lessons on it, and give it to her. If anything, she could learn the planet's language, and communicate with the doctors.

So much had happened that he felt like he was in a fog. It didn't help that he wasn't sleeping. He stopped suddenly when he reached the end of the hall. _I must have passed her room without thinking_. He turned around and looked back down the corridor. There were many health care workers moving in and out of the rooms. This time he moved down the corridor with a purpose. Lieutenant Edmonson's room was in the middle. The door was open a crack and he could hear sounds coming from inside. "Lieutenant?" he asked as he pushed it open.

Gaeta had to admit it was good to see her awake. Tubes were still sticking out of her in different places. The noise he had heard was coming from a monitor on a stand bolted to the wall. It reminded him of the viewers back on Caprica, though it was much more compact. Angela had called it a telly.

Racetrack slowly brought her head around slowly. Her eyes brightened with recognition for a moment before dying away. "I'm sorry," she said in a broken whisper as she turned her face back to the wall.

"For what?" Gaeta sat down in the sole chair.

"For what happened. . .sir."

Felix sighed. "It's not your fault. It was a freak accident." He hesitated before continuing, "Tyrol has already narrowed the catalyst to the hydraulics. I want you to tell me what you remember."

Margaret shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure. . .T-there was an explosion, followed by a hard thrust to port. . .I-it's hard to remember."

Gaeta sighed. This whole thing was giving him a headache. "You're doing fine," he offered, trying to give her at least some level of comfort. _Now I know what Adama goes through_. "Do you remember anything else?"

"Not much," she said groggily. "Couldn't control the speed. . .did what I could. . ." She was quickly fading towards what looked like sleep.

"Are you finished?" an angry voice came from behind.

Felix turned around and looked at the individual standing in the door. He recognized Jankowitz immediately. "Admiral Adama wanted a report on what happened."

"She is in no condition at the present time to answer any questions," he brushed past Gaeta and moved to the other side of the bed.

The Colonial officer took that as a dismissal and slowly backed out of the room. _Doctors will forever be the same._

'Sir?' an unknown voice broke through his musing. 'Yes?' Gaeta turned to look. The man looked like he was one of the Terran pilots.

'Uh. . .is anyone in there right now?' he indicated the door into Lieutenant Edmondson's hospital room.

'One of the doctors.' Gaeta let a wry grin cross his face at the Terran's reaction. He glanced down to the nametag. _That might be something we can add to the uniform._ 'Why are you here, Janes?' he queried.

'I, um, thought it was sad that she didn't have anyone there to sit with her,' Janes gave him a slightly guilty look. 'You know, her family needs to know that she's hurt.'

Gaeta gave him a sad smile. 'There's no one left.' He didn't want to go further into the matter. 'It is not good for her to be alone,' he said in a low voice as he brushed past the Terran. Once he made it around the corner, he sighed and leaned up against the wall. Janes was right, it's not good for Racetrack to be alone, but there just weren't enough people anymore.

He opened his eyes, and pulled out the pda from his breast pocket. What Margaret had told him did fit in with Tyrol's reports. He jotted down her comments, then turned it off as he put it back in his pocket. Adama needed to get the report, but he wasn't sure how to get it up to the Admiral when he was planetside. He'd have to think up something.

The room Angela was in was on a different floor. Stepping out of the elevator, he noticed how things were much more intense. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he moved over to the nurses' desk. 'Can you tell me where Lieutenant Angela Glennan's room is?'

'Third door down the hall,' the man currently stationed behind the desk answered.

'Thank you,' Felix answered as he left the desk and went towards her room. It was his worst fear that she'd look the same as when she had come out of surgery. It had been four days since he had been planetside, and he had heard nothing from the hospital or Captain O'Neill of her condition. The room she was in had no door. Medical equipment cluttered around her bed and in between it all her lone visitor was her mother, Katelyn. His mind drifted back to Racetrack and how no one was there for her. It had saddened him to see her alone. _At least Angela has her mother to sit beside her._ What surprised him was about half of the computers had been turned off, and she was breathing on her own. When she had come out of surgery even he could tell she had been on complete life support.

'The PTSC was here a short time ago. They're wanting to know what happened,' Katelyn commented.

'I'm not sure who you are talking about,' Felix answered in confusion.

'It's a safety commission that investigates airplane accidents to find their cause.' She glanced up at him before turning her attention back to Angela. 'I never expected this to happen.'

'Ma'am,' he fumbled over what he wanted to say. 'What about those? Why are they off?' he indicated the computers.

'Because her diaphragm and lungs were repaired sufficiently for her to breathe on her own. The doctors are still watching her liver and kidneys closely. If they don't improve in the next 24 to 48 hours, they will have to be replaced.'

'I see,' Gaeta nodded absently.

'How long are you going to be here?' the older woman asked.

'I can be here for a while.'

* * *

On the other side of the capital city, Admiral Orbach sat in a somewhat ornate, but sparsely decorated waiting area. Just by sight alone, he could tell the planet was once a colony of the UK. The Scandinavians liked their simple clean lines, but many of the countries that made up the EU preferred more ornate decorations. The English used an odd mixture of the ornate furniture and designs for the government buildings, and rustic country charm for their homes.

A formally dressed aide opened the door to the office and stepped inside the waiting area. 'Admiral, the Prime Minister will see you now.'

'Thank you.' Orbach stood up. He picked up his attaché case and walked into the next room. Prime Minister Alistar Hamilton was seated at a table. The desk was in the back corner, completely covered in papers. The last time he had been here had been right after Hamilton had been elected. That had been last year. 'So Admiral, you have something for me?'

'You could say that, sir.' Jeremiah gave him a wry smile as he moved deeper into the room. 'It's more interesting than anything else.' He set the case down and waited patiently for the senior minister to stand up. Instead of getting to his feet, Alistar pointed to a chair on the other side of the table. 'Sit down, Admiral. I've known you long enough to know when you're angry at something.'

'Thank you,' he sat down and opened his case. 'I'm here about your new visitors.'

'Is that why you're angry?' Hamilton leaned back.

'No,' Jeremiah shook his head. 'I'm angry at us, and what Garcia managed to get away with.'

Alistar held out his hand, 'Let me see.' The room was quiet for several minutes as Hamilton read through the proposal. 'You're right,' he said disgustedly as he tossed the sheets back on the table. 'Did they sign it?' he asked suddenly.

'Not that I know of, sir,' the American admiral shook his head.

'Good. If they did, we wouldn't be able to do a damn thing,' Hamilton mused.

Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. 'What are you talking about?'

Alistar reached for the proposal again. 'I noticed,' he started while glancing through it, 'that we would "watch over" their technology to make sure it's not exploited.'

'The only people best suited for that job would be the Colonials themselves.'

'What type of infrastructure do they have left?' Hamilton handed the proposal back to Orbach.

The Admiral shook his head, 'From what I've found out, not much of one at the moment.'

'Which means they'll need people and maybe even a shipyard. If I can get the people here to invest in the Colonials it could easily revitalize our economy.' Hamilton opened up his computer writing program and started entering information into it. 'Money is another thing,' he muttered.

'Money? What do you mean by money?' Orbach leaned forward in interest.

'What type of monetary system do they have, and what is it called? I'll have to talk with their senior government officials to see if we can do something to make sure the money situation doesn't get out of hand.'

'I'm not sure of what they have. Are you talking about slaving the two systems together?' The conversation was quickly going over his head, but he did know about this.

Alistar nodded in approval, 'I didn't even think about that. That would be perfect. But, I think you're more interested in seeing what can be done with the two militaries.'

'You think right,' Orbach answered with a grin. 'Their pride means more than anything else, and from what little I've seen, the military is very important to them. They want to control it as much as possible. I intend to honor that.'

'Sir,' Alistar's senior aide stepped through the door. 'Admiral Jackson is here.'

'Send him in, Parker.'

The senior Pictavian military officer walked through the door a moment later. His natural skin color made his uniform seem whiter than it actually was. After a quick salute, he relaxed slightly.

'Admiral Jackson, Orbach and I were just discussing the issues that the refugees have created.' Alistar indicated another chair that was available.

'Yes, sir,' he answered and moved over to sit down. 'I've had my people monitoring the situation. With the exception of those two capital ships, they seem harmless enough.'

'What do you think of possibly creating a military alliance with them?'

Jackson barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. 'They've only got, what, a couple thousand in their military? I don't see how that could happen.'

'Jackson, like it or not, it looks like they'll be here for some time. I want to be on good terms with them from the very beginning.'

'Admiral, I've talked to Captain O'Neill, and she's stated that their faster than light travel is completely different from ours. I would think it could be a boon for your people,' Orbach commented.

'It's also going to give me major headaches until everything is worked out.'

'Once word gets out, you'll be the envy of the Terran navy, because you will have direct access to the Colonial's FTL drive,' Alistar said with an amused look on his face.

Jackson looked from one to another for a moment, debating on whether he should take it or not. 'I'll take it, for now. Are my people going to have to learn their language?'

'You have no choice in the matter, Admiral. And your question about the language issues? At the moment, yes. We will tell the Colonials that it will be in their best interest for their military personnel to learn English. They'll be "encouraged" to learn the language since everything will be handled in English.'

'Good, it'll be hard enough as it is without the language barrier.'

* * *

Dr. Elizabeth Duncan rubbed her eyes tiredly. Ever since Captain O'Neill had taken that shot, she had been on the hunt for whatever it was that had altered her health. It had not been for her to have gone off and got the shots without notifying her beforehand. She had made her thoughts known emphatically when O'Neill had come back. O'Neill was her patient and not part of the refugees. No telling what the quality of their healthcare was.

Then there was this. Whatever it was that they had given her had taken care of her fibromyalgia. The sample she was looking at was of O'Neill's blood. There were some interesting things that hadn't been there before. But before she could do anything, she had to filter out all the known elements, which left her with what she was about to study.

'Let's see what we've got,' she muttered as she looked through the microscope. From there she introduced several known cancer cells. What shocked her was the speed with witch the unknown elements attacked the cancerous elements within the added cells. What was left in the end were several healthy cells, but with that odd signature. 'Oh my. . .' she sat back, stunned. This was not what she had been expecting to see. If those elements could eradicate cancer that quickly, it was only a short jump to other types of auto-immune problems. And if it could take care of fibromyalgia and cancer. . . 'The pharmaceutical companies will not be happy with this,' she muttered. 'They'll use every bit of power they have to squelch it. This will put them out of business.' Getting the information out was only going to happen if the refugees patented the product.

Duncan logged the information, then put the samples back in the freezer. The next step was to map the genome so the DNA could be cloned. That would only happen after she had spoken to the Captain, and possibly Admiral Orbach.

'Captain,' she acknowledged her as she stepped inside O'Neill's office.

'What do you have for me?'

'Other than still being angry about that procedure you had done without my consent? Yes, I have something for you.' Elizabeth sat down while looking at her notes.

'I'm never going to hear the end of it, am I?' Mair said tiredly.

'No you're not. I've told you before, it was foolish of you to do that. It could have killed you.' The silence between them was somewhat awkward before Duncan spoke again. 'What I've been able to find is something very interesting. I took a sample of your blood and removed all the known elements. It left me with something that looked quite odd.' She put a piece of paper on the desk. 'You will notice that it attacked cancerous cells quickly, leaving healthy ones behind. I'm surmising that it did the same thing with your own condition.' Duncan leaned back. 'The refugees need to patent this as soon as possible because the drug companies will not like it and try to silence the information.'

Mair glanced over the sheet before answering, 'Just the royalties alone would sustain any economy.'

'Definitely, which is why they need to know their options.'

'Who else knows about this?'

Elizabeth shook her head, 'Just me so far. I was using the military research facilities, and you know how they feel about leaks.'

* * *

"They're human."

"I don't think they would stay with them unless they were human," Doral answered.

"Look," Cavil pointed to the image laid out before them.

"So what, it's the same type of convoy we struck two days ago. If they're from what the Humans call the Lost 13th Colony --"

"They could be better with computers than any of us! We have to be careful. Look what happened last time," Sharon almost yelled at the others. "How long did it take to clean out the computer system?" she asked Cavil harshly. "I don't want that happening again."

"We shall infiltrate," Six said calmly. "We achieved our goal two years ago by infiltration," she left the comment hanging.

"Where's the closest convoy?" Cavil finally capitulated.

"Here," Doral projected an image of the ships before them. Like before, it had minimal protection, and even that ship wasn't considered 'heavy' by Colonial standards.

"Good. Prepare to jump," Cavil ordered.

"Just like that?" Three said in surprise.

"What else is there?"

"True." She paused before continuing, "Who will be going in?"

"Each of you," Cavil said to the female models, "will send one of your models into separate lifepods. Once there, there will be just enough life-support to keep them alive. When rescued, the programming will be buried and only activated when needed."

"It won't work," Sharon shook her head.

"Yes it will. After going through their computer database we will make sure that we choose one of their own. And if they speak another language, the model will be programmed to speak only that."

_We should just leave them alone_, Simon thought. He had been the one to work the hardest on removing the computer virus. _It's only going to get worse._

The plan was executed without any problems. It was even better that the military vessel gave off a distress call. The Cylons put a homing beacon within the escape pod to see where it would be taken. Now they would wait.

TBC...


	53. Chapter 53

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 53  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Fifty-three_**

It wasn't that long before Katelyn returned. 'Thank you for staying,' she said while sitting down in the other available chair.

Gaeta nodded. 'You're welcome.' He looked at the monitors for a moment before continuing, 'The doctors that came in while you were gone seemed pleased.'

'Good.' She looked at him for a moment before continuing, 'I want to thank you again for staying. You don't need to stay anymore.'

'All right,' he nodded. Before he left, he gave her hand a squeeze. He wanted to stay, but at the same time he realized that he had spent enough time here. It was time for him to go back to his duties. There was also a report he had to give Adama about the accident.

Once back into the corridor, he pulled out his pda and looked over the notes he had made after talking with Racetrack. There wasn't much there, but probably enough to help Chief Tyrol.

'Sir?' a woman's voice came from further down the corridor. Gaeta raised his head up and looked around, not quiet sure who was being addressed.

'You're one of the Colonials?' the woman asked after she looked over his uniform. She was dressed in a formal suit, very similar to what their own government officials wore during Quorum meetings. Her glance made him think something was wrong. It made him look down at his uniform before he looked back towards the woman. 'Yes. I am Major Gaeta, Executive officer of the Battlestar _Galactica_. Can I help you?'

She gave him a slight smile while answering, 'Yes, you can. I was hoping you could tell me what happened to one of your small crafts. We lost two high ranking police officers because of it. Did the pilot survive?' She had her own pda out and was already taking notes.

'Yes, she did survive. She is recovering right now.' For the moment he wasn't sure if he was allowed to give out any names. 'She won't understand your questions.'

'Really? Then why can you understand English? You don't seem to have that much of a foreign accent.'

Gaeta had no idea how to answer the question without giving too much information away. It was like being boxed in a corner. 'I. . .I have been learning the language for the past few months,' and left it at that.

The woman seemed to accept his answer for the time being. She was about to ask another question when he decided to ask one of his own. 'And you are?'

'Harriet Spencer, lead investigator for the Pictavian Transportation Safety Committee,' she answered while offering her hand.

'Ma'am, I'm not sure what you are wanting to hear. I can arrange with you to come on board the _Galactica_ to speak with Chief Tyrol and work with him about the crash. I do know early findings have suggested it was equipment related, but I do not have any details at this moment.'

'I see,' she nodded. 'If it was one of your small craft, what about the others?'

"Grounded."

'What?' she asked.

Gaeta was tired, and frustrated at the same time. He realized he would have to be more careful of what he was saying. 'I'm sorry, I do not know the word. All ships of that type are not flying until all are cleared.'

'What you mean is that they're "grounded",' she nodded in appreciation for the explanation. 'So, I need to talk with Chief Tyrol?'

'Yes, we will have someone that can translate for the meeting. He does not know this language.'

'Thank you, Major. Your comments have been a big help for me.'

Gaeta nodded as he watched her move back down the corridor. The moment she turned the corner he pulled out his pda and jotted down what she asked him. He only hoped that he answered correctly. Being the executive officer came with a lot of responsibilities, and he felt like he barely even knew any of them. Before he left, he decided to check on Racetrack one last time. She seemed to have been fading off to sleep. He wanted to make sure that she was still all right.

A few minutes later he was standing outside her room. He could hear voices, but couldn't tell whose they belonged too. Gaeta almost pushed the door open, but stopped to listen once again. He could just make out what sounded like the early lessons Angela had and then he had once he really started learning English. _Good for her, she'll need the_ _skill_. Felix let a slight smile cross his face as he turned back towards the elevator.

In less than two hours he was back on board the _Galactica_. All he really wanted to do was sleep, but he had to report his findings to Adama. If that government agency were like all the ones he had ever had dealings with, they'd have already have contacted the Admiral. Halfway up the first flight of stairs he felt the weight of his exhaustion on his bearing down on his shoulders. For the past week he had been so worried and wired that it had kept him from relaxing. Knowing that both Racetrack and Angela were in good hands for now, made him realize that it was okay to leave and go back to his duties.

As he neared the Admiral's quarters he was surprised to find that there were no guards at his door. He let Adama know he was there and waited patiently.

The door opened and he stepped inside Adama's quarters. "Sir, I talked to Racetrack," he started almost immediately.

"What did she say?" the older officer asked as he directed Gaeta to the table.

"She remembered an explosion and a hard thrust to port, sir. The one other thing she said was that she couldn't control the speed."

"That falls in line with why the raptor fell," Adama mused.

"Yes, sir."

"Anything else, Major?"

"I was stopped by a government official investigating the crash."

"Harriet Spencer? Yes, we've already heard from her. I think she didn't realize that there are only a few of us that can communicate with them."

"Sir, I told her that. . .I think. . ." he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired."

Adama looked him over before making his decision. "Major, you're off duty until your shift starts tomorrow. Get some rest."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta nodded absently. A moment later he rose and automatically braced himself and then moved towards the door.

"And Felix?" Adama started. Gaeta turned around, "Yes, sir?"

"Lieutenant Glennan woke up ten minutes ago."

* * *

The first truly formal meeting of the two sides was scheduled for several days in a remote part of Pictavia. The closed in pavilion had an elegance to it that was surprising to everyone whom had never seen it. The high planetary officials had been using the facilities for years. There was a permanent "no fly" zone in place up to 200 kilometers in any direction leading up to it so there would be complete privacy for any talks staged at the location. The facilities had more than a pavilion, there were tastefully decorated living quarters for every leader that stayed there, as well. It was mainly used for economic talks with the neighboring colonies, and this time it was no different. The one difference was that the visiting government was settling their people in a very remote area of the planet. 

Both President Roslin and Admiral Adama were surprised at the way the room was prepared. In the center of the room was the traditional long oval table with name markers for each individual. Behind the chairs and along the wall, where the Colonials were to sit, were the flags of each of the 12 Colonies, with the central government's flag in the center. On the other side were far fewer flags, but they just as colorful. Adama looked around the room for a moment as if making sure everything was as he had been told beforehand. They were walking into an unknown situation, and he wanted to make sure Laura would be safe.

"Ma'am," Billy said from behind them. "Everything's been set up."

"Thank you," Laura answered while still looking at the room's setup.

"Welcome Admiral Adama; Madam President."

The two Colonials turned to see who had addressed them. They had seen so many faces over the last few hours that it was hopeless to even begin remembering everyone. "You can speak our language?" Laura asked surprised.

"Yes, Ma'am. There are some of us that still learn the old languages," she answered with a smile. "I'm Courtney Bennett and I will be the official translator for the talks."

"Good," Adama said with what sounded like relief. Both translators that they had been using were not available at the current time.

Courtney nodded in understanding. "The Prime Minister will be arriving shortly. If you so choose you may wait here."

"Thank you, Ms. Bennett," Laura said gracefully.

Courtney left them alone in the conference room for several minutes. When the door opened again it revealed several people they didn't recognize. The one they did know was the Terran Admiral and the translator that they had just met.

Courtney pushed her way through the group until she was beside the Prime Minister. "Admiral, Madam President? I would like to present to you Prime Minister Alistar Hamilton, and Admiral Harold Jackson. I believe you already know Admiral Orbach?"

"Yes, and thank you," Laura answered for her and Adama as the translator turned towards Hamilton.

'Prime Minister? This is Admiral Adama and President Roslin of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.'

'Welcome,' Hamilton said while extending a hand in friendship.

The Colonials had no idea what Hamilton had said, but they understood his tone and gesture. Adama looked at Laura for a moment and said with a low voice, "He seems harmless enough."

After another minute, Laura finally reached out and took the hand offered in friendship. "I'm not quite sure what you said, Mr. Hamilton, but thank you for your hospitality."

With the first meeting over with, the two sides found their places at the table. It did help that both sides were using very similar writing systems.

'Let's get started,' Hamilton stated as he opened the folder before him. 'As you will notice, we have taken the time to make sure your copies of the proposals are in your language.'

Laura hesitated as Hamilton's comments were translated. It surprised her that Hamilton seemed very open. "He can't be using duplicity," she muttered to Bill.

"I'm not sure yet. He seems overly confident." Adama opened the folder before him. It was an exact copy of Laura's.

Alistar looked at the two foreign leaders before beginning, 'There are several issues that needs to be discussed here. This is just the introductory overview.'

"I understand," Roslin answered after a moment. "How long will the talks take?"

'As long or as short as needed. There will be no signing until both sides are comfortable with the revisions.'

"Thank you."

The initial pleasantries were still be passed around when Parker entered the room. He whispered something to Admiral Orbach, who in turn excused himself from the meeting for the moment. He returned several minutes later with a thoughtful look on his face.

'Admiral?' Alistar queried.

'Sir, there has been a third convoy hit. This time they were able to rescue one female in a lifepod, and they're sweeping the area once again to make sure no one was missed. No word yet on the Jane Doe's condition, though they're already doing scans to see if they can do anything for her.'

Hamilton looked to Bennett and gave her a nod. She turned and told Adama and Roslin what had just been said.

"Do you know what she looks like?" Laura asked out of curiosity.

'Not yet, the rescue ship is still looking for survivors.'

Adama answered thoughtfully, "I see."

After going through the list of what would be discussed that day, the meeting eventually broke for a lunch break. The Picts were used to the give and take, but the Colonials were having a somewhat harder time. Besides the teachers' strike it had been over forty years since anyone in the refugee's society had been in any type of formal talks.

Newly arrived Harriet Spencer walked through the corridors at a brisk pace. She felt she had seen enough while on the Colonial's destroyer. Turning a corner, she almost ran into Jackson, just the person she was wanting to see, other than the Prime Minister. 'Admiral Jackson? I was hoping to find you,' she said curtly.

'What is it that can't wait, Ms. Spencer?' he asked cordially.

'I just finished taking a tour of the Colonial's destroyer hanger. . .'

'I think they call it a battlestar,' he interjected.

'Destroyer, battlestar. . .whatever. My real reason is that I wanted to tell you that they're very lax in their maintenance.'

Jackson's eyes narrowed, 'Really?'

'And there's a reason for that,' Mair commented.

'Captain, this isn't for you to know,' Harriet tried to cut her off.

'But it is. I've been in contact with the Colonials for over a month. I believe there is a reason why their ships are the way they are. Did you ask them?'

'What does that have to do with their maintenance program?' Spencer shot back.

'Everything. That ship is understaffed and the crew is overworked. Not only that, they were on the run. All the maintenance went into the engines and their fighters. That was the only thing that kept them alive. If you don't believe me, then ask them. I will guarantee you they will give you an earful of what they've been through.' Mair took a calming breath before turning her attention to Jackson. 'Sir, from what I've found, not one person out of their military has had a day off in almost a year.'

'I see.' Jackson did more than see, he understood. 'Does Admiral Orbach know about this?'

'Not yet, sir,' Mair answered. 'I was on my way when I heard her mention the quality of their maintenance.' She shot Harriet another hard glance then moved off in the direction she was originally heading.

_I wouldn't be surprised if she's warming Admiral Orbach's bed._ Harriet looked around, 'Have you seen the Ambassador?'

Mair eventually found Orbach being briefed by Logan. 'Admiral,' she braced herself before continuing, 'I'd like a word with you.'

Orbach dismissed Logan then turned back to Mair, 'Yes, Captain?'

'In concern for the small Colonial ships, especially the one that crashed? They were grounded almost immediately, and also that they have been going through intensive maintenance. You remember how understaffed they are.'

Jeremiah nodded, 'Yes, I do remember.'

'I have a feeling that the PTSC agent in control of the investigation thinks otherwise. I only want to warn you beforehand.'

'And you have. Thank you,' he nodded then directed her towards the cafeteria facilities. 'Have you eaten lunch yet?'

'Not yet, sir. I was going to be here later, but was called to bring Ms. Spencer planetside after she had visited the _Galactica_.'

Lunch was a fairly informal affair, and soon everyone was gathered once again in the main conference room. The rest of the first day went fairly quickly. The Colonials were shocked with each of the offers that were placed on the table before them.

"Why are you offering all of this?" Laura asked.

Hamilton looked at Roslin for a long time before finally giving her a look as if to say that she should know what he meant.

Roslin's eyes narrowed slightly before she finally nodded. "I see."

O'Neill found Roslin as they were leaving the conference room. "There is something I would like to talk with you about."

"Yes?" Laura asked as she gave her a slight smile.

"I wanted to show you this," Mair handed her a piece of paper.

"What is this about?" Laura looked at it confused.

"Last week Dr. Cottle gave me _something_. After several hours my symptoms had completely disappeared. My CMO, managed to separate whatever it was out of my blood and this is what she came up with. She will start the gene mapping process, but if you're going to make any money off of this, it needs to be patented immediately so no one can steal it. Madam President, there is money to be made off this, money your people will need soon enough."

Laura looked down at the sheet again. "I see. Thank you, Captain." She knew she had a lot to think about before the next meeting.

TBC...


	54. Chapter 54

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 54  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

_**Chapter Fifty-four**_

Adama looked around the Terran shuttle. He refused to indulge his curiosity on how the ship worked. Right now, his goal was to see how Racetrack was doing. The planetary hospital was the only place on the planet he had seen besides the compound where the talks were being held. He only hoped that hospitals were the same as they once were on Caprica. Jankowitz seemed to not be having any problems from what he had seen in Life Station. Then again, it could be because he knew their language. Bill glanced over at O'Neill. She seemed lost in thought. He was relieved that she had decided to accompany him. Adama knew next to nothing of the English language. _Hamilton is right, we're going to have to learn their language to survive_.

Mair suddenly leaned forward to look out one of the windows. "We're almost there, Admiral. Once we're on the ground, we'll have to take ground transportation to get to the hospital. The hospital does have landing facilities, but those are reserved for emergency only."

Adama nodded, "Thank you." Once they were on the ground it surprised him at how similar their ground transportation was to what he used to use on Caprica. It had wheels and some kind of engine, but he had no idea what the vehicle used for fuel. At the sight of the clear blue sky, he thought it had to be something that produced little to no emissions.

"What about reporters?" He looked out the vehicle's window and studied the odd looking buildings.

"Don't be surprised if you see them," Mair answered with what looked like an exasperated look on her face. "They're still talking about the crash."

"They seemed oddly fixated on that. Do you know the reason why?"

"I think, Admiral, it's because Pictavia prides herself on safety. They haven't had an accident of this magnitude for at least a generation."

Adama declined to answer her comment. The rest of the trip was silent as he continued to look at the buildings around him. They eventually emerged from the vehicle in the hospital's parking lot. He could see groups of reporters in various areas giving their viewers the newest bit of information that the hospital had just released.

"Don't worry, Admiral. They're not going to chase after us while yelling questions," O'Neill said as they walked through the front entrance.

"Good," he answered gruffly while following her to what looked like a front desk.

Mair glanced to him and asked, "What is the pilot's name?"

"Lieutenant Margaret Edmondson."

Turning back, Mair pulled out her military ID card and said, 'Hello, I'm Captain Mair O'Neill. You have one of my officers here, a Lieutenant Angela Glennan?'

The receptionist verified Mair's ID, then turned to the computer. 'Yes. . .she's in ICU. . .third floor.'

'Thank you. I also need to find out which room Lieutenant Margaret Edmondson is in.'

'Is she under your command?' the receptionist curtly asked.

It took no amount of willpower to keep her from rolling her eyes at the question. 'No,' she answered calmly. 'Lieutenant Edmondson is a member of the Colonial Military. It's her commanding officer who wants to see her.' Mair indicated Adama, who was now standing beside her.

'He doesn't know English?'

Mair shook her head, 'No he doesn't.'

The woman gave Adama a hard look before finally answering, 'You need to escort him to and from Edmondson's room.'

'Fair enough,' Mair nodded in agreement. 'What floor is she on?'

'Fourth floor,' she grumbled as she handed visitor badges to both Mair and Adama. When they were through the doors and into the hospital Adama asked, "What was that all about?"

"Security. She didn't like how she couldn't identify you. I agreed to be your escort while here."

"I see," Adama nodded slowly. "What floor is Edmondson on?" he asked while waiting for the elevator.

"Fourth, and you might need this while here," Mair answered while handing him a pda. "It has the translation program on it."

Adama fingered the small piece of electronic equipment for a moment before stepping into the elevator. It deposited both of them on the fourth floor. Racetrack's room wasn't that hard to find. Right before she left, Mair commented that she would be back in a bit and left him there while she went down one floor to ICU.

"Racetrack?" Adama asked as he stepped inside the room. The medical equipment was set up around the bed in a vaguely similar way to how it would have been set up in a Caprican City hospital.

"Sir?" she asked. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she struggled to sit up. "How. . ."

"Don't worry about it," he answered with a slight smile as he sat down. "I came here to see how you were doing."

"Everything still hurts," she muttered.

"As soon as you're ready, I'll have you transferred back up to the _Galactica_. There might not be any privacy, but it's what you're used to."

"True," she answered softly.

"Have you been bothered by any of the reporters?"

"There were some here a few days ago, but Dr. Jankowitz ordered them to leave, I think. . ." Racetrack shook her head, "I'm not really sure. I've started recognizing English words, but that's about it. They were talking and he pushed them out of the room before they could do anything."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Before Adama could get to his feet, the door opened and Mair walked inside. "I'm sorry, Admiral," she started, "I received a message from Admiral Orbach requesting your presence back at the compound."

"Did he say why?" Adama glanced over to Racetrack before bringing his gaze back on the Terran captain.

Mair shook her head, "No, he didn't. He only said that it was very important that he meet with you as soon as possible."

"Lieutenant," Adama turned his attention back to Edmondson, "I'll be back later to see how you're doing." He placed a hand on her shoulder then turned and moved back into the corridor. "Were you able to see Lieutenant Glennan?"

"No. I'll come back later."

The trip back to the compound had a strained feel to it. Both military officers knew that whatever it was, was important. When they were finally back, Adama went in search for Roslin. He had a feeling that she would know more about what was going on, plus he didn't need a translator to be able to talk to her.

"How is Lieutenant Edmondson?" Laura asked.

"She was awake and complaining that everything still hurt," Adama let a slight smile cross his face before letting it disappear.

Laura gave him a wan smile before handing him a picture. "The Terrans have reported that this was the lone survivor in the last convoy that was struck."

_Frak_. "Has she said anything?"

"Not that I know of. The doctors think she has complete amnesia."

"Admiral?" O'Neill walked up to the two of them. Both Orbach and Hamilton had come with her. "I can tell by your expressions that you know this person?"

Bill glanced over to Laura before mentally backing away. Laura would have to tell them. He was in no position to be able to divulge that type of information.

"Sadly enough, yes. The name we knew her as, is, or was, D'Anna Biars. She was a reporter both on Caprica and in the fleet."

'Then how was she supposedly found on a Terran ship?' Jeremiah asked after receiving the translation.

"Because she's a human formed Cylon. They are trying to infiltrate to reach us."

'I see. And is there any reason why they dislike you so much?'

Laura almost cringed at the question. "Because we created them to do our 'dirty work' and they rebelled. Now they're out to completely destroy us. They've already succeeded in obliterating our homeworlds." She sighed, "I'm sorry to have drug you into our war with the Cylons."

The Terrans talked among themselves for a short time before turning their attention back to the two Colonial leaders. "Admiral Orbach has requested everything you have on the Cylons."

"That is the least we can do. Almost all of the early information was destroyed, but there are a few references still available," Laura tried to sidestep the request.

Hamilton nodded. 'Anything will be gratefully appreciated.'

"It will take a day to gather the required information," Adama commented for the first time. He wasn't sure about mentioning the museum. Roslin might not approve of it at first, but that was the only place where information was readily available on the First Cylon War.

Orbach pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons and spoke into the unit, 'Erbe. I need you to send a message to the rescue ship. They need to put her in confinement and send her back here.'

"What are we going to do?" Laura asked once they were alone.

"I think we need to show them the museum. They'll wonder why we have so much information in book form when you told them otherwise," Bill pointed out.

Laura pursed her lips for a moment. "Bill, if they see that, they can easily justify destroying us."

"Madam President, they could have done that when we first arrived in Pictavian space."

Laura finally capitulated. "I know, you're right," she said as she placed her hand on his chest.

"This could work in our favor if we play it right," Bill commented as he grasped her hand to lead her out of the room. Once they were in the hall he let it go and slowed down so she could move up beside him. When they exited the building, they found Ambassador Garcia gesturing wildly towards the Pict Prime Minister in the courtyard. Garcia's voice was raised in anger, but not to the point of yelling. They stopped to watch the sadly comical sight before them. Eventually Garcia stormed off in another direction, not even aware of the looks he was receiving from everyone within earshot. When it was quiet once again, they began moving across the courtyard. "How will you be able to talk to him?" Laura asked quietly.

"With this," he said as he pulled out a pda.

"I didn't know you had one," Laura said in surprise.

"Captain O'Neill gave it to me when we were at the hospital." They stopped in front of Alistar.

'Admiral; President,' the Pict acknowledged them.

Laura gave him a slightly confused look before turning her attention back to Adama. "I have no idea what he said," she said softly.

Bill nodded while jotting down what he wanted to say to the Prime Minister. Still not knowing how to at least pronounce the words, he handed the small computer to Hamilton. "What exactly did you tell him," she said as Alistar looked at it thoughtfully.

"That there is something very important that we need to tell them," Adama answered as Alistar gave the pda back to him. _We have a museum dedicated to the First Cylon War on the _Galactica. _I think it would be best if you and your people saw it before making any final judgments on the final decisions concerning our settlement on this planet._

'Why didn't you tell us about this?' Alistar demanded.

Laura shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

'And what about Garcia? He was not pleased at all about being left out of the talks. You may be settling here, but we are a part of the Terran political system, and he is the official ambassador.'

President Roslin sighed. "What I'm trying to do is to fix the mistakes I inadvertently made." She glanced towards Adama before continuing, "I would like to invite the Terran delegation up to the _Galactica_ so you can tour the museum."

* * *

The tour of the _Galactica_ had been enlightening, especially for Harriet Spencer. She finally understood how critically understaffed and overworked the Colonials were and how it had taken its toll on the simplest of maintenance procedures. Compared to the vipers, the raptors had to take a backseat for maintenance. The vipers were their only means of defense.

They also saw the memorial that had been created just outside Life Station. Seeing the walls covered with images and notes was enough to stop any questions that might have been raised at the quality they had been seeing.

Last of all was the museum in the starboard flight pod. The Cylon wreckage showed what the battlestar had gone through in protecting the civilians under her wings.

'I'm sorry I questioned the Colonial's commitment and abilities,' Harriet said softly to Jackson. 'I only saw what I wanted to see.'

Jackson nodded, 'Understaffed and overworked. And yet they keep going. I only hope the officers under me would show that type of dedication.'

"Admiral, this is not what I remember seeing," Mair pointed to the old style model Basestar on display.

"Because it isn't," Adama answered. "Those disappeared with the original mechanical Cylons after the First Cylon War."

"Admiral?" Laura called as she moved towards him. She was coming from what originally to have been the gift shop, and was carrying several books.

"Madam President?" he asked as he looked at what she held.

"These are for our visitors." Laura handed one of the books to Mair.

Mair nodded while flipping through it. "It will have to be translated, but I don't think that will be too much of an issue."

Laura gave her a wan smile. "It shouldn't. I made sure that the books that would be sold were of good quality, and accurate. I admit, it wasn't very pretty why the Cylons were created in the first place."

As Mair moved away Bill commented softly, "It won't hurt now to let Glennan have that book."

"Right." Laura eventually followed Mair to the group of Terrans that had wandered over to the crashed raider and the hole that had been patched to keep the air they were breathing within the flightpod. She made sure that each visitor received their own copy. Once distributed Mair explained to them what the book was about.

As the group left the starboard flightpod, it was explained that there would be a question-and-answer session to follow, in order to allow the Terrans to learn more details on some of the issues that were plaguing the Colonials. Even though Courtney Bennett had sufficient clearance to be the official translator, the Colonials were uncomfortable with her presence. Mair had agreed to act as the translator.

The room everyone ended up in was the same room both Admiral Adama and President Roslin had first met Captain O'Neill in. The Ward Room was still as severe in its decoration as it had been before the devastating attack.

What surprised the Terrans was that it was Adama that gave them a general overview of the history of the First Cylon War and the issues that led up to it. As they were leaving, Gaeta came down the corridor with a notepad in hand. Adama broke away from the group and moved over to the younger officer. "What is it, XO?"

"Sir, Engineering has reported that maintenance on engine pods 1 and 4 have been completed. They're preparing to bring them back online. Once those are checked out and have passed all safety inspections the cheng will take 2 and 3 offline and repeat the process."

_A month is a long time to be offline_. "Thank you, Major. Also, before you go planetside, you can stop by my office and pick up the book Lieutenant Glennan was interested in, to take it to her."

"Thank you, sir," Gaeta let a slight smile cross his face before schooling his features.

Adama nodded before rejoining the group and their continued tour of the battlestar. They were waiting for him further down the corridor.

When they neared the CIC, Orbach's unit gave a single beep. He pulled it out and read the message printed on the screen. _Fleet doctors say that the possible cylon is recovering from surgery to remove several benign tumors. When she is ready they will have her sent to Pictavia._

TBC...


	55. Chapter 55

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 55  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

_**Chapter Fifty-five**_

'Another freakin' convoy hit,' Captain Harry Johnson of the salvage ship _USS Recovery_ muttered darkly. 'How many more will is gonna take to get the brass's attention?' He looked at the radar screen. Within the wreckage there were several military vessels of varying sizes. The biggest one was the American cruiser the _USS Ticonderoga_. So far, they had recovered one survivor. The numbers bothered Johnson. Of all the ships only one person survived. Either the merchant ships were very badly constructed (which he didn't believe) or whoever attacked had done a very thorough job.

Rumors were circulating around that it was another race that had decided Terra shouldn't survive. The Martoks had done that 10 years ago, and all it had done was involved in a war where the Terrans refused to lose. Johnson knew that this new race was in for a nasty surprise.

'Hey, skipper. Where's our lone survivor?' Commander John Collier asked. He was the _Recovery_'s XO.

Johnson glanced through the manifest before answering, 'She's still here. Any reason why you're asking?'

'Just got a message from Orbach.' The XO handed him a small communiqué. 'He wants a picture of her sent to him.'

'Thank you,' Jackson dismissed him while examining the chip. After a few minutes he plugged it into his computer and read the message. 'Baylor?'

_'Skipper?'_ The Texan's voice that came across the speakers had a slightly clipped accent.

'What's the condition of your Jane Doe?'

_'If you're wondering if she'll survive? Yes, she will. If you want to know if she can travel? Not yet. I've come across several tumors. I'm getting ready to do a biopsy to see if they're cancerous or not.'_

'All right, doctor. Before you do anything, get me a picture of her. Orbach wants to know what she looks like.'

_'Can do.'_

'One other thing, let me know how the surgery goes.' Johnson leaned back and sighed. He hated the wait.

_'The surgery won't take too long, it's the tissue examination that will take the longest.'_ Baylor answered before disconnecting the line. A moment later, his computer beeped. Pushing a few buttons, he saw that he had received an image. He read the message before looking at the picture: _This should be what Orbach wanted_.

Jackson nodded as he looked at the picture. Instead of going through the normal forms of communication, he set this one as priority. Because of the distance, it was going to take a while to get to its destination. He added a note telling the admiral where and how she had been found, and attached the image to the outgoing message. The communications system, seeing that it was flagged for priority, sent it off immediately.

An hour after the surgery Dr. Baylor was sitting across from him in his at sea cabin. 'So, how is she doing?' Johnson leaned back in his chair.

'Like I told you before, there was more than one tumor. I was able to remove them all. The good thing was that they were all benign. I'm not sure what's going on, but she should make a full recovery.' Baylor handed him the pathology report he had printed out.

'Do I look like a doctor?' Johnson raised an eyebrow. 'You know I can't understand medicalese.'

'True,' Baylor gave him a wry smile. 'I just thought you'd be interested in seeing the report.' The doctor then handed him a data stick, 'This has the report on it. You can send it off to whoever needs it.'

'Thank you.' Johnson fingered the piece of electronic equipment for a moment before setting it down. 'I'll get this encrypted and sent off. You're dismissed,' he said after a couple of moments.

Now alone, he plugged the data stick into his computer and accessed the files. He would give Baylor it back when he was finished downloading the files onto his computer. He found one file and did a cursory glance through it to make sure it was what his CMO had said it was. He knew it would be, but he always checked just in case, because something could happen. Johnson quickly attached it to another message, and this time he set it as high priority with full encryption. 'I hope this is what you're looking for, Orbach,' he muttered.

Johnson got a response in less than 20 minutes requesting that the Jane Doe be transported to Pictavia. 'Walden, get me the _Tico_'s captain.'

_'Yes, sir.'_

'Davidson.'

_'What can I do for you, Captain?'_

'It's what you can do for Orbach. He needs that Jane Doe brought to Pictavia.'

_'I see. . .Any word on who she is?'_

'Sorry, haven't heard a peep from the brass on this one. Sounds big.' He paused a moment before continuing, 'I'll have her sent over ASAP.'

_'I'll let you know before I leave. Tico out.'_

'Roger. _Recovery_ out.' Johnson got up and went to sickbay. He had been in his office most of the time, so he couldn't see what was going on. The Jane Doe was just beginning to wake up. 'Baylor, is she about ready for transport?' he asked as he stepped inside.

Baylor looked up from his examination, 'Maybe a day at the most. Her physiology is remarkably resilient.'

'And the tumors?'

The CMO shook his head, 'Not sure about those yet. I've never seen anything like it before.' He moved over to one of his microscopes, 'I'm going to send a sample to Pictavia for them to study. Maybe they can make some sense out of it.'

Johnson eventually wandered out of sickbay and headed back towards the command center. Recovery efforts were moving along nicely. They wouldn't be able to retrieve everything, but they were going to get as much personal data out of the ships as possible for the families. Most of them had cargo. They would have to notify the destinations about the unexpected delay in supplies. Pictavia was almost on the other side of Terran controlled space. The Picts would not have any supply ships this far out. The cargo vessels were from another colony world that had grown past the colony stage.

'Walden, how far along are we?' he asked the lanky, dark-skinned officer.

'About a third, sir. It was a much larger convoy than the others. If you look,' he pointed to an area that had more concentrated field of debris than anywhere else, 'whoever they were, were able to take out the convoy's only source of defense.'

'Has Admiralty notified us the name of the ship?'

'Not yet, sir. I expect that information to be received at any time.'

'Good. Let me know when you find out anything.'

It wasn't until the next day that their Jane Doe was ready for transport. She was heavily sedated for her trip to the _Tico_. None of the medical personnel wanted to take any chances.

The cruiser _USS Ticonderoga_ was good for their defenses, but not their only source. All the ships in the salvage fleet could easily defend themselves. It was nice, though, to have her with them. Since they still didn't know what they were dealing with, Baylor had made sure to destroy all of the tumors. The only thing left was the sample that was being sent with the Jane Doe to Admiral Orbach.

'There she goes,' Johnson muttered as the _Tico_ disappeared into hyperspace. It was easier, but not at the same time when the big ships were around. Having a military ship the size of the _Tico_ in sight was like having an elephant in the corner. He didn't complain. If he did most of time it would only fall on deaf ears.

'Okay children, lets get back to work,' he ordered the crew that was gawking at the sight of the cruiser slipping into hyperspace. He understood their feelings, he felt the same way. Seeing the show was over, they quickly got back to their jobs of salvaging what they could.

'Shit! RADAR contact! Bogies coming in!' Shelton yelled from his station.

'Identify.'

'Unable to. The computer doesn't recognize the ships.'

'Ships? How many are out there?!'

'Uh. . .looks like four big ships. Shit. . .they're launching fighters. . .too many to count. . .'

'General Quarters,' Johnson ordered over the fleetwide channel. He didn't have to wait very long for the weapons grid to come online.

'They're launching missiles,'

'How many?' Johnson leaned over Shelton's shoulder to look at the screen.

'Enough to take everyone out.'

'Damn.' Johnson backed up a step. 'Have everyone duck into the debris field. That might give us some time.'

Davis, captain of one of the smaller salvage ships, yelled in panic, _'They're aiming at e - -' _The line went dead.

'Davis!' Johnson looked at the RADAR screen where the smaller ship had been.

_'There're too many missiles!'_

The _Recovery _lurched at the force of a close hit. 'Their fighters are swarming around us,' Shelton's voice wavered.

They lurched again. 'We've gotta get out of here.'

The ship gave a violent shake. 'Sir!' Shelton managed to hold onto his station, 'We've lost RADAR.'

'Walton, get us out of here!' Johnson ordered. 'I don't care if it's blind.'

'Yes, sir.'

With one last shake, the ship disappeared into hyperspace. Johnson waited for five minutes before giving the order to exit into normal space once again. Having a blind ship was not a good thing, especially when he didn't know where they jumped too. Once real space formed around them he ordered his crew to start working on repairs to the ship, and to find out where they were at.

They were lucky in that they came out of hyperspace close to one of their navigation buoys. 'Where are we?'

'We were lucky, skipper. Our jump took us in the general direction of Terra.'

'Get us to the closest port, I don't care which one it is.'

'Yes, sir.'

Seven days later, the _USS Recovery_, limped into port. In that time period, they quickly found out that it was too dangerous to use the hyperdrive. The ship was in very bad condition. She was still running only because of her being overbuilt for salvage operations. Once in port, Johnson headed to the communications section to make his report. The _Recovery_ might be salvageable, but he wasn't counting on it. He didn't see what the attacking ships looked like, but he had several of his crew that had.

He sent his report off to Orbach along with what the ships looked like. A short time later he received an answer. They were to stay there until they were given new orders.

* * *

'Damn,' Jeremiah muttered as he read over the report from Captain Johnson. This was not what he had been hoping for. The Jane Doe was still in transit, and it would take at least another week before she arrived. Between the time they had been told about the survivor and now, the small salvage fleet had been brutally attacked. Only one ship had survived. Those vessels were not made for combat.

He had Mair come in to make sure the attacking vessels were given a positive ID. He knew she could recognize Cylons carriers, having been in a skirmish with them already.

'What do you think?' he asked as he stood behind her. It only took a moment before she turned to look up at him, 'They are Cylons, sir.'

'That's what I thought.' He backed up a step so she could get up from her chair.

'Anything you want me to do before. . .' she asked while indicating the images.

Orbach shook his head. 'No. You're dismissed.'

'Yes, sir,' she answered. On her way out, her hand grazed his arm. When the door closed, he took the seat Mair had just vacated and switched on the communications unit. There were a few colonies that had highspeed transmissions. Pictavia was one of them. With only a five second lag in response time, it was highly popular with sports enthusiasts. This time, with special encryptions, he contacted Fleet Admiral Pavel Dolohov through the same highspeed communication transmissions. He needed to know of this new development.

_'Admiral Orbach, you better have a good reason for getting me up in the middle of the night,'_ Pavel's voice was much rougher than usual.

'I'm sorry about that, sir. I wanted to talk to you directly about what looks like a growing incident.'

_'Go ahead.'_

'Sir, the ones that have been attacking our shipping, they've struck again. This time they attacked the salvage ships. Of four ships, only one survived.'

_'And?'_

'I'm having images of the attacking ships sent over the datastream. The Colonials are giving us all the information that they have on this race.'

_'Yes, I read that. It is a very interesting read, a very serious read. I will discuss our options with my staff. You will be notified of your orders.'_

'Yes, sir.' Jeremiah nodded. He only hoped that the brass would do something about this before it got any worse. This had been an unprovoked act of war.

Jeremiah received a flash message less than ten minutes later acknowledging that the information had been received and requesting him to wait for his orders. Considering the information that had been sent, he wasn't that surprised at his new orders. The task force would change from civilian-based to military-based. Dolohov had also told him he would have a fleet to deal with the invasion. Those would start arriving within five days. He looked at the list of ships he would have under his command. The sight of one supercarrier was a pleasant surprise. There would be at least two more regular carriers to supplement the _Goch_. The rest of the list was a mixture of everything from destroyers down to frigates.

Now he had to tell Mair and Admiral Adama about the change of plans.

TBC...


	56. Chapter 56

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 56  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

_**Chapter Fifty-six**_

Felix Gaeta walked down the now very familiar hospital corridor towards Racetrack's room. Jankowitz had sent word back to both Dr. Cottle and Admiral Adama, saying that she had improved enough to be moved without any severe consequences. He was here to make sure it took place without any problems. Because of the Pict's worry over the small Colonial craft and how safe they were, Gaeta had decided to ask for the temporary use of one of their small crafts. That concession seemed to mollify the doctors at the hospital somewhat. Those same doctors didn't really appreciate the fact that one of their patients was being released when she wasn't fully ready. And the thought of being treated at either a clinic or on their flagship didn't help either.

"Lieutenant?" Felix stuck his head inside the room.

The pilot brightened at the sight of a familiar face. "Sir?" she asked as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

He set the book he was carrying down on a table while keeping his attention on the pilot. "Are you ready to head back to the _Galactica_?"

Margaret shrugged, "I guess."

"It's not going to be that bad, Edmondson. You'll be at the clinic before the Admiral has you shuttled back up to the battlestar."

"I guess I'm going to miss the privacy this hospital room as afforded me."

Gaeta sat down in the lone chair and looked at her for a time. "I can understand that. This is the first real privacy you've had since the Holocaust."

"Sir, will I be allowed to have any visitors while planetside?"

The question surprised Gaeta. "I'm not sure about that. You'll have to talk to Dr. Roberts on that issue."

"Just as long as he doesn't think I'm Sagitarron," she muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. . .sir," she shook her head.

Gaeta let the subject drop, but it still bothered him. He thought they had gotten past provincial thinking. Everyone was supposed to be deemed equal under Colonial law. "You never really elaborated on the reason you would want visitors, besides your fellow pilots."

She shrugged again, "I just wanted to make sure that I would be allowed visitors, sir."

"All right," he paused when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. "It looks like your ride is here," he said as he got to his feet.

'Major, will you excuse us? We need to prep Lieutenant Edmondson for travel,' one of the nurses explained.

'Of course,' Gaeta nodded while he grabbed the book and started backing out of the room. "I'll see you in a while, Lieutenant," he called from just inside the corridor.

"Yes, sir," she answered.

Gaeta stayed there for a short time, watching the medical personnel work around Racetrack's bed. She was unsure about the move, but he knew once she was in familiar surroundings, she would improve at a faster pace.

She gave him a slight smile as they passed him down the corridor. Dr. Jankowitz met them at the elevator and they all took it to reach the level that had the landing pad. They were going to use the trauma shuttle because of its speed and how smooth it was in flight. When he was alone once more, Felix looked at the book then slowly moved down the corridor. He had received word that Angela was out of ICU and in a private room. His relief was obvious at her slow and steady recovery. If all they had was Colonial healthcare (in its current state) she would have never survived the accident. In that respect he was grateful for the planetary facilities.

He found Angela's room on the other side of the nurse's desk. Like Racetrack, she had a room to herself, which was nice. Katelyn was there, as he expected. Gaeta was surprised to find that the older woman was a pediatric nurse. They needed someone of that qualification in the clinic. Dr. Cottle still had to do almost everything. Roberts helped somewhat, but a lot of the civilians preferred to be treated by their crusty CMO.

Seeing him, Katelyn rose to her feet and met him in the corridor. 'Good you're here. I received word that one of her crewmates was planning on coming to visit. I gather they weren't talking about you?'

'No, ma'am,' Felix shook his head.

'If you don't mind staying, I have to check in with my supervisor.' After a moment, she gave him a knowing look. 'I'll be back later.'

As the older woman moved down the corridor he heard Angela's voice, 'Mum?'

'She had to leave,' Felix answered as he stepped inside the room. 'She'll be back later,' he finished as he reached the bed. "How are you doing?" he asked as he drew a finger down her cheek.

'Tired, and I hurt,' Angela muttered.

_She must be, she's not even attempting to use Colonial._ "I brought you something," he said with a slight smile in his voice. His smile reached his mouth at her surprised reaction. Once the movable table was in place, he put the book she had at one time asked about on it.

'What's this?' she asked as she brought her good arm up and opened the cover.

"Remember when you got lost twice? This is the book you asked me about. Admiral Adama said you could have it."

Angela's eyes lit up before a look of mild indignation crossed her face. 'It took him long enough,' she muttered.

"Angela, there's a reason for the wait," Felix sat down in the chair. He debated on the best way to tell her.

'And?' she tried to prompt him.

"We, uh, we created the Cylons," it came out in a rush. "And over forty years ago, they rebelled against us. We had them to do the work no one was willing to do. It eventually progressed to the point where we had the Cylons fighting our own petty wars." The spoken words reminded him of his own devastating loss. He turned his face away from hers so she wouldn't see the tears threatening to fall.

'Was it someone?' Glennan asked slowly. His current actions were overriding her dismay of what the Colonials had created in their arrogance.

"Yes. . .no. . ." He sighed. "I don't know. It's just that everything is gone." He felt her hand on his arm. Gaeta looked up and saw how she had reached through the railing to reach him.

'You're right. I'm not even going to try to understand what you've been through.'

Felix rubbed his face. "I'm sorry."

Angela shook her head, 'There's nothing to be sorry about, Felix.' She turned her attention back to the book before her, 'So, this is about the _Galactica_?'

"And the First Cylon War." He indicated the book, "We never really learned our lessons concerning AI's. By the time of the Holocaust, we were already redeveloping AI's."

'Those who do not remember the past are forever condemned to repeat it,' Angela muttered as she opened the book.

"Something along those lines, never heard of that version though."

'Felix,' she looked up from her perusal, 'We've had our own issues, but those were mainly religion and racial in nature.'

"Which reminds me," he settled deeper into his chair. "Who is your Patron?"

'What do you mean?'

Now Felix was confused, "How could you not have a Patron?"

Eventually she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Gaeta had a hard time not rolling his eyes. "You know, the specific god or goddess you worship within the pantheon?"

Angela blinked her eyes in surprise. Apparently that was not what she was expecting. 'I'm a monotheist, Felix. And a majority of Terrans are also monotheists.' She leaned her head back tiredly, 'Although, there are some that worship the old gods and goddesses.'

"Who are they, the gods that is?" Felix leaned forward.

'Well, you'd be surprised. In my years in the military I've come across a few neo-hellens. Those resurrected the ancient Greek gods like Zeus and Hera. Then there are the druids who worship more nature type of gods and goddesses like Epona. I knew one pagan who thought that the asirtu were really strange.' Angela yawned. 'Then there's the Hindu who have thousands of gods and goddesses.'

After hearing two of the Lords of Kobol's names, the rest of her commentary was lost on Felix. "So, there are some who worship the Lords of Kobol?" he asked, trying not to be eager at the same time.

'I'm not sure what you mean by that? Lords of Kobol?'

"Sorry," he answered quickly. "I mean Athena and the others?"

'Yes, but that's about all I know.' Her voice drifted off, and her eyes closed. Gaeta glanced over to the medical equipment to make sure she was all right. It took him a moment to figure out that she had fallen asleep.

Gaeta leaned over and kissed her forehead. 'Rest well, my dear.'

* * *

Jeremiah rubbed his face tiredly. With the condition the Colonial government was in, he was amazed of the amount of information they had about the Cylons. Most of the information was dated, but anything was better than nothing. Mair had recently helped with the translation of several of the most up to date documents from the Colonial President's office. The folders had what information they had on the known Cylon models.

He flipped open the file that was for the mole. The Cylons had done a good job in tying her to a crewwoman in the convoy, but not good enough. The companies that operated the convoys made sure that every person had been accounted for. This woman was in their database, but with a totally different picture. And now with the near destruction of the salvage fleet. . . If the Cylons wanted to pick a fight with Terra, they got it.

During the Martok War, the Martoks had liberally used AI's. Orbach new exactly what to expect with the Cylons.

The odd thing was the Colonial's language. It was a form of early Greek that used the Roman alphabet. Very strange in his estimation.

'Maybe I should at least learn how to read their language,' he muttered as he looked through another file. Orbach didn't mind having to lean on Mair's language abilities, but he knew she wouldn't be able to continue translating. Eventually, she would be transferred.

'Sir,' Logan knocked on the door, 'Captain Paul Stephens of the _USS Philadelphia_ is here.'

Orbach didn't even pause to look up, 'Good, Commander. Send him in.'

'Captain Stephens,' Logan said before letting her captain move through the door. Jeremiah looked up as the younger captain stepped through the door.

'Sir,' the younger officer saluted.

Orbach stood up while indicating a chair, 'Please, have a set Captain.' When they were both seated Jeremiah continued, 'What has Admiral Dolohov told you?'

'Not much, only that there's been a major incident and that you'd fill me in.'

'Good, Captain. The civvies don't know about this just yet. Now unofficially, what have you heard?'

Stephens paused for a moment, 'Something's up, sir. Scuttlebutt states that there was some sort of attack on our ships.'

'Something like that,' Orbach let a slight smile cross his face. 'The refugees that settled on Pictavia have been chased by a race they call Cylons. These same Cylons have been trying to infiltrate. They almost managed to succeed were it for the fact that of how the companies keep track of everyone, would they have been able to get a mole within our society. They jumped the salvage fleet, almost destroying everything.'

Stephens nodded slowly. 'So forces are being mobilized.'

'Yes. By the time you get back to your ship, you'll have your orders.'

'Yes, sir'

'Good. You're dismissed.'

Stephens braced himself before exiting Jeremiah's office.

'One down and too many to go.' he sighed. Until the admirals started to arrive, he would have to brief the arriving captains and commanders. Stephens knew the admiral he was to be attached to, but she wasn't here yet. There was a good possibility he would be given a fleet to command, but there were only rumbles concerning it.

Until that happened, he would make sure that the gathering fleets start running tactical exercises. 'Erbe,' he called through the open door.

'Yes, sir,' the petite officer quickly came through the door. Orbach didn't require the officers that worked in his office to constantly brace themselves every time they entered his office. He knew they respected him.

'I need you to draft a memo for me to sign informing Admirals Jackson and Adama of the impending fleet exercises when more of our ships start arriving.'

'Yes, sir,' she answered.

When he was alone once again, he sighed as he opened the top folder once again. There was so much for him to learn about the Cylons before more Terran captains arrived.

* * *

Bill Adama moved down the corridor deep in thought. He hated dragging the Terrans into their problems. What's done is done, he thought. Adama only hoped that the Terrans had a fool proof plan keeping the Cylons out of their networked computers. Earlier that day he had received a message from Admiral Orbach. He had Gaeta translate the message and found out about the pending military exercises. Professional courtesy was always a good thing. Soon afterwards, he had a long discussion with Laura about their options and what was available for them to participate with.

The CIC had a calm feel to it. The underlying exhaustion of the crew had since those first five days after the Holocaust had seemingly melted away. About half of the civilians had already settled on the planet. It felt good not having to worry about them constantly, especially with the condition the ships were in. Most, if not all, were not designed for long distance travel.

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the Twelve Colonies_,_"_ Playa Palacios's voice announced over the wireless.

_This is a surprise,_ Adama thought. Normally Laura would give him a heads up on when she was going to make any type of announcement. Then again, he already knew what she was going to say to the population.

_"Thank you, Playa. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am talking to you at this time to inform all of you of the status of the settlement process. As the days have progressed, more and more civilians have moved down to Pictavia. I have told Prime Minister Hamilton several times that we are overwhelmed and very grateful for his generosity. I also wish to inform you that the Terran Military has started mobilizing. The Cylons have blatantly attacked the Terrans. I have told them I was sorry for their losses. I also told them about how and where the Cylons came from. For the people still in orbit, there is no reason for you to be worried or scared. The Terran Navy will start performing military exercises within the system._

_"After finding out about the attack, I asked Admiral Orbach if the Terrans knew what they were dealing with. He only commented that the Cylons had no idea what they'd gotten themselves involved in. I only hope that the Terrans are successful in their endeavors against the Cylons. Now because of the radical differences in FTL drives, the Terrans have requested that both the _Galactica _and the _Pegasus _stay within the Pictavian system. It was agreed that we would help defend the system while here. I feel that we have an obligation to supply what manpower and resources we can to help to defend this system and the people that have welcomed us with open arms._

_"Now, for the people that have already settled on the planet; plans have been made with several of the companies that provide food and food stores to the planet, and they have agreed to build stores within Aurora City. Once completed, they will accept our credit, along with their own monetary unit (which they call the dollar)._

_"Plans have not been made yet for a government building. I hope to meet with local architects soon so we can start the rebuilding process._

_"Thank you for listening, and may the gods of Kobol bless us in our endeavor to rebuild."_

CIC was quiet for some time. Adama looked around to see how the crew took the news. They already knew they would be staying in the system. He was very proud of how _Galactica_'s crew had handled themselves. He readily admitted, he got the dregs of the Academy, but they _were_ Colonial officers. And for the most part, they carried themselves with respect and dignity.

"Dee, get me Pegasus Actual," Adama said as he picked up the hand device at the commander's station.

_"Pegasus Actual,"_ Tigh's voice came across the speaker.

"Tigh, I need you to send Major Adama over here."

_"Yes, sir. He'll be over presently."_

"Good." Adama turned his attention back to Dee, "Have Starbuck report to my office." He looked to Gaeta, "You too,"

"Yes, sir," Gaeta nodded.

Gaeta followed the Admiral out of CIC and into the corridor. "Does this have anything to do with President Roslin's announcement?" the younger officer asked.

"Partly. I'll explain it better in my office."

Gaeta nodded as they turned the corner and into the corridor that held both of their cabins. Within a few moments they moved inside the CO's quarters and towards Adama's office. He looked expectantly as he sat down.

Adama leaned up against his desk. "I've decided to have several officers go with the Terrans. That means they will have to learn English."

Gaeta hesitated a moment, "Am I going to be one of them?"

"Yes. Besides Lieutenant Glennan, you have the best command of the Terran's language. Both Major Adama and Lieutenant Thrace will also be going."

"Any reason why?" Gaeta was somewhat worried about Thrace and her hotheadedness.

"I'm sending both of them because of their knowledge on the tactics that Raiders employ during combat. Both Starbuck and Apollo will need to learn English. And, depending on how well Glennan is recovering, I hope to have her go, too."

"Sir, she's part of the Terran Navy."

"Yes, Major. I am well aware of that," Adama gently reminded the younger officer.

"Sorry, sir," Gaeta flushed slightly.

"While we're waiting," Adama commented as he moved around the desk, "I have another tactical problem for you to read and answer." The older officer reached for his book on tactics while producing another clean sheet of paper. He flipped through the book looking for something. Once he found what he was looking for, he quickly copied it onto the paper and handed the sheet to the younger officer. "As before, Major, think it over before writing down your answer."

"Yes, sir." Gaeta hastily folded it and put it in his breast pocket when a tone from the door sounded.

"Enter," Adama commented to the small microphone mounted on the comm. system.

Both Starbuck and Apollo stepped into the command quarters with curious looks on their faces.

"The table," Adama said as he got to his feet.

"Has this anything to do with President Roslin's announcement over the wireless?" Kara asked as she approached the table.

"Partly." Adama sat down.

"As the President mentioned her her speech, the Terrans salvage fleet was blatantly attacked. I think the reason why is because the Cylons were trying to plant a mole. It didn't work."

"So they attacked," Lee said grimly.

"Correct. From what Admiral Orbach has relayed, only one of the four salvage ships managed to survive. The Terrans see it as an act of war."

"If the Terrans are going to go against the Cylons, they're going to need people who know raider tactics," Starbuck said grimly.

"Which is where you two come in. I have yet to ask Admiral Orbach the validity of this, but I plan to have both of you with the Terran fleet as they engage the Cylons. This means both of you will need to learn English as soon as possible." Adama gave Thrace a hard look, "Which also means you _will_ behave like a Colonial officer. You are representing both me and the President. I expect to receive a glowing report on your attitude from the Terrans."

"Yes, sir," Kara looked down, acting properly chastised.

"Major Gaeta and hopefully Lieutenant Glennan will be with you."

"I don't know if I'll be able to learn the language," Lee shook his head.

"Major," Gaeta spoke for the first time, "I have a program that will help you learn. I also have access to videos that should help. If you want me to, I will speak only _English_ around you."

"Any questions?" Adama asked after a short lull in the conversation.

"When will this happen?"

The three officers looked to Adama expectantly. "Admiral Orbach will let me know in due time. The Terran fleet is organized in a completely different way than our own. Each alliance has their own fleet, but they all work together at the same time. It might take as long as a month to organize the first wave. Commander Tigh and I will be staying with the battlestars."

"Will I get to fly one of their fighters?" Starbuck asked with a hopeful look on her face.

"Lieutenant, that depends on the Terrans." Adama glanced around the table looking to see if there was going to be anymore questions. "Good," he answered himself. "You're dismissed. You can meet up with the XO to find the best time to start studying the Terran language."

An hour after the three officers had left, the door opened and Laura stepped inside. She was the only person that could come into his quarters unannounced. She had also known about him wanting to talk to some of his officers about being with the Terrans as exchange officers.

"So," she sat down beside him on the couch. "How did it go?"

"Better than expected." He draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

TBC...


	57. Chapter 57

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 57  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Not beta'ed (please be gentle!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

_**Chapter Fifty-seven**_

Captain Marcus Davidson of the _USS Ticonderoga_ found that the inner Pictavian space was quite crowded by the time he arrived. Multiple destroyers, cruisers, and several carriers (one of them being a super carrier and her battle group deployed from Terra) filled up the space available. And close to the planet were two odd looking capital ships. They were comparable in size to one of their carriers. Decent size for an unknown military vessel. Be that as it may, he was not here to gawk over the amount of ships gathered. He needed to make a delivery.

The woman, if you could call her that, had been quiet the entire trip. All she would do, was either shake or nod her head, along with eating the food that was provided for her. She seemed to understand English, but no one was sure since she didn't make a sound.

'Lieutenant Parham, send a message to Admiral Orbach. Let him know we're arrived and are ready to make a special delivery.'

'Yes, sir.'

The mahogany skinned captain turned to leave the command center. 'I'll be in my at sea cabin,' he said just as he reached the door.

'Captain off the bridge,' Commander Oscar Cantu, the _Ticonderoga_'s executive officer, said as Davidson exited the room. The captain had been receiving regular reports on the mobilization of their forces. It shocked him just as much as any other captain to find out the salvage ships he had just left had been jumped and almost destroyed.

'Just what we need,' he muttered as he sat down. 'Another war.' After a moment he pulled up the live feed from where their unofficial passenger was located. She seemed calm, but he wasn't sure if it was because of the sedatives or not.

_'Sir,'_ Parham's voice came over the small speakers, _'Admiral Orbach is on the line.'_

'Thank you, Lieutenant.' Davidson switched the channels over, 'Admiral, I've got a special delivery for you.'

_'I heard,'_ Orbach answered curtly.

_That's different. What's wrong with him?_ 'Admiral, do you want me to have her shuttled down, or will your staff take care of it?' he asked cautiously.

_'We're still in the process of preparing a place for her. For now, I want you to have her shuttled over to the _Ddoraig Goch _under maximum security. Her captain has already been notified.'_

'Yes, sir,' Davidson nodded. 'You will be notified when the transfer is complete.' He disconnected the line and sat back in his seat. 'Must have caught him at a bad time,' Marcus muttered. It didn't matter, he did have his orders. 'XO, please come to my at sea cabin,' he said into the small microphone.

_'Yes, sir,' _the Hispanic officer answered. Minutes later the same officer was seated across the desk from Davidson. 'What are the Admiral's orders, sir?' he asked while relaxing slightly.

'Orbach said they were still preparing a place for her. He wants me to have her shuttled over to the _goch_ for the time being.'

'You know, O'Neill is over there,' Cantu gave him a knowing look.

'If she is, he never said so.' A slight smile crossed Davidson's face before disappearing. 'You're dismissed.'

Cantu nodded while rising to his feet. 'Yes, sir.'

Now alone once more, Davidson propped his chin on his hand while studying the feed that was still coming in. He knew he had to contact the _goch_, but not until he had another good look at their passenger. She never really recovered from the surgery the CMO of the _Recovery_ performed on her. Tumors were not to be taken lightly. Yes, they had cures, but to be able to catch the disease before it had a chance to develop. . .

'Parham,' he spoke into the small microphone. 'Get me the _Goch_'s captain. I need to talk to her.'

_'Yes, sir,'_ the Lieutenant's voice came across the speakers slightly distorted.

_'O'Bryan here, what can I do for you?'_ an unfamiliar voice came across the speakers.

_What?_ 'Captain, I just got off the line with Orbach. I have a special delivery and he wants you to hold her for the time being before being sent planetside.'

_'That is correct, he's already sent me our orders. Do you have any idea if you're going to take part in the exercises?'_

'I haven't heard either way on that. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes calling back with new orders.' Davidson shook his head. 'It does bother me that we have no experience against this new enemy we've found ourselves against.'

_'I wouldn't say that. . .the Piranha's. . .lets just say we lost a few before figuring out the _C_ylons. The Colonials vipers are imitating the Cylons and are participating in the war games with the other squadrons that have already arrived. They're pretty good.'_

'They're not coming, are they?' That idea greatly bothered him.

_'Not that I heard of. They're staying within the system to help defend it.'_

_Good_. 'Captain, she should be on her way in under an hour.'

_'Jolly good,'_ O'Bryan answered. _'Captain,' _the Scot recognized his rank and disconnected the line.

Davidson drummed his fingers on his desk, the conversation had only lead to more questions.

* * *

Starbuck adjusted the transponder within the raptor. She could just make out the raptor Apollo was flying through the murky darkness of outerspace. With Sharon's help, Gaeta had created a false signal that the raptors could give out making them look like Cylon raiders on the Terran's radar systems. "It's showtime," she said softly, but with a wicked gleam in her eyes. They had all available raptors from the _Galactica_ and _Pegasus_ participating in this particular exercise.

_"You ready, Starbuck?"_ Apollo's voice came across the comm. They were on radio silence, but everyone could talk to each other on a dedicated comm. line.

"Definately," she answered. "They won't know what hit them."

_"Follow my lead."_

"Aye, sir," she answered easily and activated the FTL drive. Starting with the two senior pilots, the small raptors flickered out of the shadows of the battlestars while waiting for the Terrans ships to prepare, or so the Terrans were lead to believe.

_"Starbuck, Apollo, you're free to jump back at any time,"_ Gaeta's voice came across. The higher ranked officer sounded just as smug as the two pilots. The XO had told them earlier that the computers were timed to jump within seconds of each other.

_"On my mark. . .MARK!"_ Within seconds all of the raptors flickered back into the middle of the gathering Terran fighters. As fast the Colonial pilots could, they tagged as many fighters as they could then sent out fake nukes "blinding" the rest of them. Without warning, they jumped away. . .Only to be replaced by both Colonial battlestars. The capital ships were far enough away, but still close enough to cause major damage.

The surprise was so complete that the Terrans tried scrambling to bring up their defensive grid. It didn't work. Almost all of the ships were 'dead' before they could even set General Quarters.

_"Is that it?"_ Stuggs asked over the comm. once they were out of short range DRADIS.

"They were soo not ready." Starbuck gave a laugh. "I told you they wouldn't know what hit them."

_"Starbuck, I don't think we'll be able to do that again,"_ Apollo's voice came across the speakers.

"Maybe not, but it was good while it lasted!"

So as to not startled the already skittish Terrans, the raptors came back to the sight of the exercise in real space instead of jumping. As they came in sight of their home ships Starbuck had a hard time not celebrating in the sudden triumph. Even though it was only an exercise, it was good to come out on the winning end for once.

Once everything calmed down the two lead pilots reported to Adama's quarters for their debriefing. Starbuck walked in and plopped down into a chair with a smug look on her face. "That was soo worth it." She grinned.

"Starbuck. . ." Gaeta tried to be stern, but was failing miserably at it.

"Hey?" she pushed his shoulder playfully. "It was _your_ idea."

"Lieutenant. . ." Adama entered into the cabin followed by Tigh.

The blonde only smiled as she turned to look at Adama. "Yes, sir," she answered.

The Admiral only gave her a stern look, but let it drop fairly quickly. "From your vantage point, how did their fighters react?" he asked as the two highest ranked officers sat down in the last available chairs.

"They were just sitting there," Lee spoke for the first time. "Completely unprepared."

"Good. They need to know what they're up against."

"Major, good job. Personally it's not something I would have thought of, but it worked just fine."

Gaeta had the decency to blush. "Sir, it wasn't my idea."

"Really?" Lee asked, clearly surprised. He remembered when they were all gathered around the plotting table and throwing out ideas. "Who's idea is it?"

"Glennan's," Gaeta answered. "Last time I saw her, I told her that the fleets were planning military exercises. She commented that a two pronged attack would work better than anything, especially with our FTL drive. I only expanded it to something we could use."

"It's not viper, or raptor, tactics," Tigh mused.

"That's probably why it worked," Lee commented.

_Definitely out of the box thinking,_ Adama thought. _Sounds like I need to talk to her._

"Hopefully the Terrans have learned something from this," Tigh muttered.

"Why's that?"

"If not, then they're not going to last long against the Cylons."

All the officers filed out of Adama's quarters once the debriefing was finished. Adama escorted Tigh back to the hanger where he could take a raptor back to the _Pegasus_. The hanger deck crew seemed to have a spring in their step. The rest did more for them than any type of morale boost.

Adama eventually found Gaeta in CIC which wasn't that big of a surprise. "XO," he said while indicating his head towards the lower level entrance.

"Yes, sir?" Gaeta asked as he moved beside Adama.

"I want to talk to Glennan about her ideas. I'll need a translator."

"Actually, sir, Glennan is being released. She told me that the bulk of her physical therapy will be done at the hospital close to her home."

Adama looked thoughtful for a moment. "I see."

"I can tell her that you want to discuss with her where she came up with her idea." The younger officer hesitated, "Do you want Racetrack to be transferred back to the _Galactica_? Dr. Cottle think she's doing very well in her recovery."

Adama shook his head, "Not just yet."

Gaeta let a slight smile cross his face. "One other thing, President Roslin will be arriving within the hour."

"Thank you." Adama nodded and headed out of CIC to make an abridged version of his rounds. Even substantially shortened Laura still beat him to his quarters. The folders on the table, no doubt held the generous offers the Terrans had given them during the talks.

Ignoring that, he unbuttoned the top of his uniform and settled down on the couch and closed his eyes. He cracked one open when he felt the cushions beside him give from the weight placed on it. "Billy told me something very interesting today," Laura said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Oh?" he asked as he cracked open one eye.

"And I don't really blame the Picts either." She went on to explain, "Bill, he heard that the Picts are only being generous for their own selfish reasons. By helping us, they help themselves. And today's meeting, you know the one you weren't able to attend? They were very adamant about us sharing in the revenues that the money from the sale of the FTL drive and the medical breakthroughs the DNA from the Cylon blood will provide."

"What about the civilians already on the planet?"

"Have you seen any of those modular homes being provided?" Laura asked with a slight smile. "They made sure that they're stocked with food to last at least a year, and each family gets a generator to use until the powergrid is up and running. We just have to find a printer that will print our money."

"That was the one meeting I didn't attend, I was participating in a military exercise."

Laura sat up and pulled his glasses off. "Oh? How did it go?" she asked as she unbuttoned his uniform shirt further down. When finished she settled against him and slipped a hand inside the shirt.

"We were able to take out the entire group in less than a minute," he answered with a smug look on his face.

Laura's grip tightened, "You're joking, right?"

Bill shook his head. "No."

"Whose idea did you end up using?"

"I thought it was Gaeta's, but he said it wasn't his. He only fleshed it out." He looked over to Laura for a moment. "It turns out it was Lieutenant Glennan's idea."

"Hm. . .don't get those two together. . ." Laura said with a smile in her voice. "They're a dangerous combination."

She was quite for several minutes before speaking once again, "Even though the Picts are doing this out of selfish reasons, they have offered us a way out of the corner we've been in since the Holocaust. If I refuse, the civilians will definitely revolt. Bill, I know its best to take the offer, but I'm not sure if its going to be yanked out from under us."

"If it is, then we can always leave."

"True, but like the people, I'm tired of running. I think it's time we all stopped and put down roots."

"Laura, whatever you decide, I will support you," Bill answered emphatically.

"That's always nice to know. I also told them I would have an answer by tomorrow."

"Which is?"

Laura sat up. "That it's time we stopped running."

Several hours later, Bill lay awake with Laura in his arms. She was right about the running. It was time. There was a world below them that had room and offered them a place to stay. Only after she told the Minister Hamilton would the media find out about the decision. The temporary settlement would now be permanent, and real infrastructure could be built to sustain the slowly growing population.

* * *

Felix Gaeta stood outside what could only be called a compound. He felt awkward and nervous, though he knew he shouldn't be. It did surprise him to find out that Angela lived almost a thousand kilometers away from Avalon. The only way to get to the small towns and cities this far out was by shuttle. Going by simple air taxi would have taken upwards of 8 hours. And that was extra time he did not have to squander on travel.

'I'll be back in 23 hours," the driver yelled through the open window.

Gaeta nodded absently as he looked at the house through the gate. From what he could see it didn't seem like security was that high, not like what he remembered at Caprica City. He turned back around when the shuttle engine rose to a whine, and watched as it took off. It still struck him as odd seeing wheels on shuttles and aircraft.

Feeling he had procrastinated long enough, Felix turned back around and slowly opened the gate. The courtyard wasn't as big as he thought, he mused as he crossed it to reach the front door. _I'm here only to let her know how the first exercise went and that the Admiral wants to talk to her,_ he said to himself as the door opened. The woman that opened the door was definitely not Glennan. She was taller and had honey blonde hair with brown eyes.

_'Sioned? Who is it?'_

The woman turned around and called back, 'Looks like who you were expecting.' Sioned turned back around and continued, 'She's in the den.'

'Thank you,' Gaeta said. 'Uh, who are you?'

'I'm Sioned MacDonald. Angie is a childhood friend. And you're Felix Gaeta,' she answered with an amused look on her face. 'Yes, she's told me all about you.'

Gaeta closed his eyes, not knowing what to think. In a moment, though, they were in the den. Angela was curled up on a couch encased in a blanket with a book in hand. The taller woman came over to her and said something that was too low for him to hear, but he could easily see her reactions. Angela blushed and slapped her arm, as if to push her away. It was still odd seeing her in civilian clothes.

The taller woman winked at him as she passed by on her way out.

'I'm sorry about her,' Angela said once they were alone.

Something was bothering her. 'Are you okay?' he asked as he sat down beside her.

'No.' Angela shook her head as she handed him a paper that had only four corners on it.

'What's this?' he asked as he held it.

'Just read it,' she sniffed as she turned to look away.

Gaeta had no idea what this was about. It also bothered him to see her depressed. Once he read it through he understood why. It was a medical discharge. 'When did you get this?'

She sniffed, 'Today.'

'Have you talked to Captain O'Neill?' he fished for at least some kind of information.

'I've been trying to most of the day. I can't find her. I've always been able to reach her.' Angela shook her head in frustration.

'And I was going to tell you what had happened with the first exercise.'

Angela quickly looked at him before asking, 'Who's idea did Admiral Adama end up choosing?'

Gaeta let a smile cross his face before answering, 'Yours. And I do admit, it was effective.'

'How effective?'

'Devastating. We took out the Terran battlegroup in less than a minute. I admit, I like that dual attack. Never seen it though.'

'It takes advantage of your FTL drive. You've got to use what you have to be as effective as possible.'

"Another reason why it was effective as it was is because it's not your traditional tactics the Colonial military uses."

'Or the Terran navy,' she answered smugly.

_Interesting_. 'Admiral Adama also wants to talk to you.'

'Why me? I'm not even in the military anymore,' she indicated the letter.

'The Terran military, but the Admiral still wants to talk to you,' Felix said as he draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her against him.

'I guess I could do it when I clean out the security quarters.' She looked up at him and asked, 'How long will you be here?'

'The shuttle will pick me up in about 23 hours.'

* * *

Several basestars were gathered outside the nebulae that the Colonials called the M8 Astral body. None of the humaniform cylons were happy that their one mole had been compromised. When the signals stopped, they assumed that something had happened and attacked. What they found was several poorly equipped military vessels and were easily neutralized.

The active mole, though, was nowhere to be found.

"Any word?" Three asked as she entered into the large room. Several models had already gathered around center control section.

"Nothing," Eight said while shaking her head. "Plus we haven't found a way to even know where to look."

"You do know, these particular humans could react the same way as our parents," Six mused. "I wouldn't underestimate them."

"Which is why there needs to be a major offensive against them," Leoben projected the image of their latest success. "As long as we have the numbers, their ships are easy to take out without the use of the electronic attack."

"You're forgetting one thing," Cavil spoke for the first time. "Remember what happened here?"

Leoben waived a hand, "They caught us by surprise, that's all."

"I would be careful going against these new humans. We have no idea what could happen," Six cautioned.

TBC...


	58. Chapter 58

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 58  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

_**Chapter Fifty-eight**_

Laura stepped through the door and into the now empty chamber where the treaty had been hammered out. She couldn't stay for very long because she was due to stand in front of her people in a few minutes to sign the treaty. Ever since the Holocaust, they had been waiting for this moment.

"Ma'am?" Billy stuck his head into the room. "They're just about ready."

"Thank you," she said, not bothered to turn around. All she wanted was a few more minutes to herself.

_It's time_, she sighed as she turned around. The room flashed brightly from the camera flashes as she made her way to the table. Prime Minister Hamilton was already seated and was waiting patiently for her. _The press is the same wherever you go_, she mused. There were several cameras set up at strategic places so the signing could be filmed without anyone getting in the way. There were also members of her own press recording the event for her people to watch. The feed was going out live, that she had no doubt.

Once finished, she felt like a great weight had been taken off her shoulders. Now she could begin focusing on winning her re-election, but not before being bombarded by questions in a language that she could not understand. It didn't bother her _that_ much. Butting heads with Adama was much more nerve wracking. So, she let it wash over her while letting a small smile grace her face. Laura knew she would eventually be told what they were shouting.

'President Roslin?' Hamilton touched her arm and indicated the door to her right.

She nodded when she realized what he was asking and moved towards the door. The flashes and yelling only stopped once the two leaders were out of the main hall.

'I'm sorry about that, Madam President,' Hamilton said while shaking his head.

"He's apologizing," Billy said quietly.

Laura turned her attention back to Billy. "Why would he? It seems the press is the same anywhere in the galaxy." She turned her attention back to the Pict, but he was talking to someone else. "Have you heard anything else?"

"Not really. There were some comments about a dinner, but I'm not sure what that's all about." Billy shook his head.

"Madam President?" Courtney Bennett entered the room from another door.

"Yes, Ms. Bennett?" Laura gave her a slight smile. It was nice to actually be able to understand someone other than her aide.

Before the translator continued, she asked the Prime Minister something. After he answered, she turned her attention back to Laura. "I wanted to let you know that a formal State Dinner has been planned at the residence of the Prime Minister. He formally requests your presence, along with Admiral Adama."

_I have nothing to wear_, was all she could think of. All she had were a few suites, and those were starting to get threadbare in places. If this state dinner was anything like what Richard Adar had, she knew she would have to have some very nice clothing. The thing is, she had nothing to base it on. The closest thing to a state dinner she had participated in was the dinner Bill had for her along with Tigh and his recently found wife. "H-has it been scheduled yet?" Laura asked, trying not to stutter.

"Yes, ma'am. It will be three days from now." Courtney smiled while nodding, "And in the State Dining Room of the Prime Minister's residence."

Laura couldn't help but look down at what she was wearing. "I, I would be honored," she finally answered. "There's also the Quorum. It would be remiss if they were not invited."

"Of course," Courtney answered with a smile. "They will also be welcome."

Several hours later she sat down at her desk. It had been a long day. When she had arrived back, she had received an ear full from the Quorum. It was understandable that they were upset, they felt they were being left out. She saw it as a chance to get something done without having to deal with their constant bickering.

Now? She had to accept the fact that she only had a business suit to wear at the formal dinner instead of a gown. The Picts would see just how desperate and hard off they were. Almost everyone had escaped with only the cloths on their back.

Not a minute later, her vice president, Tom Zarek, pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside her office. "Tom, there will be a formal state dinner with the Picts in three days. I managed to extend the invitation to the Quorum."

The long time former terrorist looked at her in slight interest while sitting down. "Trying to give them a token gift?"

"I did this alone because if the Quorum had been involved with the negotiations it would have ground to a stop." She closed her eyes. "The press don't have everything that was discussed. I wanted to tell you this before hearing a distorted version from Playa and the others."

"Which is?" he asked, now clearly interested.

"Everyone, yes everyone will be equal. The prisoners on the _Astral Queen_ will be put on parole. If they break that parole, then they will be put back on the prison ship. The Picts also stated that everyone will have the right to worship whomever they choose."

"Don't we do that already?" Zarek asked, clearly confused.

"I'm saying this because the Picts that will be coming to help us are almost to a fault monotheists like the Cylons. And, they will want to worship without any harassment."

Tom's face hardened. "Isn't that what the Cylons did? And what about the military?" he almost spat out.

Laura's voice turned cold, "We will have complete control over our military, Mr. Vice President. And they will not demand that we change and do things their way."

"I'll be watching to make sure," he answered then stormed out of the office.

"Well, that went great," she muttered as she rubbed her face with her hands.

On the day of the dinner, Laura looked at herself in the mirror of the small bathroom she was allotted in _Colonial One_. She had put on her burgundy suit and was looking critically at herself. Bill had already arrived and was in the process of attaching all the accruements that went with his ceremonial uniform. It had been decided that they would travel in separate raptors, or shuttles, she didn't know what would be used at the present time.

"Ma'am?" Billy knocked on the door to get her attention.

She opened the door, "Yes?"

"There's a package here for you."

_Package?_ Laura stepped out of the restroom. "Are you sure it's for me?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. It's got your name on it. I. . .uh. . .made sure it wasn't anything bad," Billy blushed.

Laura put her hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, Billy." She looked around, "Where did you put it?"

"It's in your office," the young man indicated the curtain. Bill was in her personal area behind her desk, so he probably didn't see what it was. No matter, whatever it was she knew he would find out about it soon enough.

The nondescript box was sitting on her desk. "Are you sh- -" Her mouth dropped open as she pulled out the dark burgundy gown from the box. "My gods," she whispered.

"What is it?" Bill asked as he stepped into her office.

Laura turned around and held up the dress. "There are matching shoes and handbag in the box."

Adama let a slight smile cross his face, it was a nice surprise. "Billy?" she turned her attention back to her aide. "Do you know anything about this?"

The younger man had the decency to blush. "Well, a tailor came by the other day and took measurements from one of your suits."

"I see," she said slowly. Seeing there was nothing else she could do, she reached for the shoes and exited the office for her private room.

Adama gave her an appreciating look when she reemerged with the dress on. It was elegant, but simple at the same time.

As soon as everything was ready, they all boarded the raptors and traveled to Avalon. The dinner was everything Roslin thought it would be, including a few surprises. The biggest one was seeing Captain O'Neill in a black civilian dress, being escorted by Admiral Orbach. Bill became restless early on with all the politicking that was going on, and Laura didn't blame him, she felt the same way because of the language barrier. Laura only wished it could be over fairly soon.

* * *

Ferguson stepped out of the _Goch_'s shuttle and into the compound where he would deliver the so-called human. The woman was very odd. He was going to be glad when he was finally rid of her.

'Lieutenant Ferguson, I'm here to deliver my prisoner,' he announced to the guard while handing over his ID and papers.

Once the guard looked it over he nodded to the soldiers behind him. Within moments the guards swarmed around the shuttle, and the blonde had been hustled into the compound. It was good not to have to deal with her anymore.

The doctors looking over her didn't know what to think. She seemed to act like her mind was blank. The next day Gaeta was sent down to check the woman out. 'She is a Cylon,' he told the doctors. 'It looks like either her programming was erased, or she never had any,' he explained.

'You're saying she's a machine?' Orbach answered in surprise.

'Yes, but we didn't create these versions,' Gaeta explained. 'We only created the early AI's.'

'So, this is what we're going against?'

'Yes, sir,' Felix nodded.

Orbach nodded thoughtfully.

The door opened revealing on of the doctors on duty. 'Sir, we can't do anything with her. She's going through what could only could be called withdrawal.'

'Is she sedated?' Orbach asked.

'Not yet, but she will be soon enough,' the unnamed doctor shook his head. 'She's got incredible strength and having her sedated is the only way to control her. We are going to try using sodium pentothal once she's manageable.'

'Good,' Orbach nodded thoughtfully. 'Let me know what you find out.'

'Yes, sir.' The unknown doctor went back through the door to where the cylon was being held.

_Sodium pentothal_, Gaeta had no idea what that was, and he didn't want to show any bad manners looking the term up in front of the Terran Admiral. He made a mental note of it to look it up once he was alone.

'Wait here,' Orbach said as he went into the room. It was the perfect time for Gaeta to find out what the doctor was talking about. His English was good, but there were many technical terms that were still beyond his understanding. Sodium pentothal was one of them. He set the pda to search for anything about whatever it was. What he found was very interesting. It was the Terran's version of a truth serum. If the cylon had no programming whatsoever, then there probably would not be anything there to retrieve.

* * *

It had been two long months full of physical therapy for former Lieutenant Angela Glennan. It was hard because she felt there was no reason why she should go through the physical therapy as aggressively as the doctors wanted her to. And the only reason to head back up into space was to retrieve her things, which she did during her last session. She still tired fairly quickly, but not like when she had first started the therapy. It was going to take several more months to get back to what her physical condition had been like before the crash.

Felix had told her that he was going to pick her up so she could make it back up to the Colonial Battlestar. She saw it as an opportunity to gather up her things and bring them back down. There was no reason for her staying up there anymore, and she wasn't in the military. The whole thing still saddened her greatly.

Now she just wanted to get it over with.

What surprised her was the sight of one of the raptors dropping out of the sky and landing within the courtyard. Once the wind died down, she stepped out of the house and moved towards the small ship. Glennan had figured Gaeta ordered it down. Her eyes widened in surprise as the door opened and he stepped out while reaching a hand down to help her up. 'You know, there are landing facilities outside the main wall,' she said as she buckled herself into the seat.

'I didn't want you to have to walk that far,' he answered with a slight smile.

Angela rolled her eyes. 'Felix, how else am I going to build up my endurance.'

"You two ready?" Stuggs asked from the pilot's seat.

"Yes, Lieutenant," Gaeta answered after settling in his own seat. 'You will,' he finally answered her comment.

Once they were on the _Galactica_, it surprised Glennan that they headed towards the bow of the ship instead of Security. "Where are we headed?" she asked as they turned another corner. "Admiral Adama wants to talk to you," he answered as they stopped in front of his quarters.

Angela nodded slowly. This was not what she was expecting. 'Okay,' she said slowly.

They stepped into the open cabin, only to find Adama was not there. Their wait wasn't that long, though. Adama soon appeared through the door and looked at the two younger people that were standing near the couch. "Good, you're here," Adama said as he put folders he was carrying on the table.

"I'm not sure why I'm here, sir?" Glennan asked while indicating the room. "I think I should be down in Security packing my things."

Adama shook his head, "Not so fast, Lieutenant." He went over to his desk and opened one of the drawers.

"I don't understand," she said as she followed him. "I was given a medical discharge," she sniffed. "I should be cleaning out the cabin I was given."

"That is not an option, Lieutenant" Adama answered as he moved in front of her. "The past few days I've discussed this with President Roslin, and she doesn't see any problem with it."

"With what, sir?"

"This," he answered while producing two Colonial officer pins. "I am giving you a commission of the rank of captain in the Colonial Navy." He backed away after attaching the pins onto her collar. "You're too important to be given a medical discharge."

It took Glennan a moment for the implications to sink in. "But I'm not a citizen, I shouldn't be. . ."

"Drastic times take drastic measures, Captain."

"Yes, sir," her mind was still reeling at what was happening.

"Good. You're dismissed. Go take care of my security," he backed up and accepted her salute.

"Yes, sir," she snapped to attention and saluted.

'You knew about this, didn't you,' Glennan commented once they were back into the corridor.

'I had an idea,' Gaeta gave her a slight smile. 'You do know I'm your direct superior,' he gave her a slightly smug grin.

Angela shook her head again, 'I still can't believe what just happened.' her hand came up and fingered the angular pin. She stopped suddenly, "What about the uniform? All I have is what I wore while in the RN?"

"Any more questions?" Felix said with an amused grin while opening the door into the Security Officer's quarters.

"You do know, every new officer needs to have regulation clothing. And since the Picts have been helping us, we've managed to get hold of much needed material for all sorts of things."

"This is too much, you know that?" she held up the new uniform.

"Well, Admiral Adama is also interested in your tactics. And, you can pick up the rest of your things in the next few days," he answered with a slight smile.

"Good, I have my duties to take care of," Glennan pushed him out of the cabin so she could change. The first time she set foot in the barracks with her new uniform, she found the marines were all super-formal, but their eyes really told her their state of mind. They were ecstatic to find her standing before them once again, but this time as one of them. Just because she was wearing a different uniform didn't mean that how she handle security would be any different.

TBC...


	59. Chapter 59

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 59  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "

English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Fifty-nine_**

The room was nothing like she had ever remembered or imagined. She was used to bright vibrant colors, but all she saw was a light shade of blue. Something was _not_ right. 'Where am I?' she whispered. _Now **that** doesn't sound right_, she thought. She shifted, and realized that she was held down. For a moment she froze, not knowing what to do. She had no idea why she was strapped down. She turned to look at one of the other walls. There was one person in the room with her. 'Who are you?' she finally managed to ask.

'Good, you're awake. How do you feel?' the doctor moved towards the stretcher.

'Tired. . .Strange. . .' she flexed her hands, stretching the bindings. _Alone. . .Solitary. . ._

'Don't worry, you're doing fine.' The doctor turned around and opened the door. An orderly came in, pushing a cart. 'Good. You're here.'

'What?' her head suddenly began swimming. 'Wha. . .srong?' her voice quickly began to slur. _What's happening to me?_ she panicked and tried to move her arms. Even drugged, she almost broke the bonds holding her down.

_Calm down, you're not going to be hurt. . ._ a soft voice echoed through her mind. The room, though, slowly dissolved from her sight and was slowly replaced by a large room that had columns set back in a raised dais. _Why here?_ she asked herself as she looked around. This was an opera house, she knew it for certain. When she turned back around to look at the dais she found five individuals shrouded in white robes. The lights made it impossible for her to see their identities.

_The final five_, was all she could think of.

Now burning with the desire to know what she was looking at, she took a step towards the unknown individuals. Just as she reached the elevated section, she bowed her head in respect. After a moment, she took a few steps toward the closest individual. As she neared, the shrouded head raised up enough so she could see who it was. Who she saw was not who she expected. From her common memories she immediately realized that this was one of the final five Cylons. "I am so sorry," she said with regret. "I never knew."

Pain suddenly started shooting through her chest and she found it difficult to breathe. _No. . .this isn't right_, she panicked. It seemed like the moments dragged out before her hearing, and then sight finally started coming back. She was in the same room, but now it was crowded with people and equipment.

'We got her back,' one apparent doctor said in relief. 'How are you feeling?' he asked gently.

_I'm model three_, she realized. 'Weak.'

'You're lucky. We're going to keep you hooked up to the machines to make sure that whatever happened isn't going to happen again.'

'What happened?' Three asked.

The doctor looked up for a moment before finally answering, 'Don't worry, you're going to be fine.'

'Then I want to go back,' she sat up and reached for the closest person.

'Code Red!' someone yelled through the door. Moments later more people began pouring through the door. It took more than twice as many people to restrain her than an average human female.

'I want to go back!' she yelled while straining against the bonds that were holding her down. It was getting harder, though. And soon Three felt her strength seem to wash out of her. 'Please. . .send me back,' she muttered as her eyes slowly closed.

'_Never_ have her out of her restraints,' the lead doctor mildly chastised the ones working under him. 'No telling what might have happened.'

'I've never seen anyone with that amount of strength before,' an orderly shook his head. 'Is she even human? I've never known of a woman being that strong before.'

* * *

A freshly commissioned Angela Glennan looked out the windows of the Terran shuttle and down towards the jeweled-tone planet below. Although she had told Felix she had work to do, she knew she had to go planetside to pick up a few things and then swing by her former ship. The trip down was mainly to let her family know where she was. For a short time though, she had been pulled from what was quickly becoming her regular duties to help with translation. She had to be careful though, to not overwork herself. She knew she would be on limited light duty for some time to come. 

The technical question and answer session she participated in with the other senior Colonial officers quickly went over her head, but she tried her best. It helped that Felix was there. He was able to handle those questions. What was amusing was seeing some of the Terran officers give her a double take when she walked into the pilot's briefing room in her colonial officer's uniform.

That had taken place an hour ago.

'There's a landing field outside the compound,' she told the pilot.

'Yes, ma'am,' he answered.

Several minutes later they were on the ground and she was heading towards the house. Her parents were expecting her, but not like this. She had left wearing casual civilian clothing and returned wearing a non Terran military uniform.

'What is going on, colleen?' her father asked her as she stepped into the house.

'Dad, Admiral Adama needs people to man the ships. I was just given a temporary detached duty to become his security officer when the accident happened,' she answered while giving him a hug.

'And the uniform?' he looked her over while holding her shoulders at arms length.

'I've been out of the RN for two months. Adama gave me a commission, though I'm still on limited light duty.'

'How did he find out? Did Felix tell him?'

'I would suspect he did,' she looked around the room for a moment. 'I'm not here for very long. I'm only picking up a few things, and to let you know about this,' she indicated the uniform.

'Which reminds me, how serious is this relationship?'

The question caught Angela completely off guard and rendered her speechless for a moment. 'It's, um, getting there,' she finally answered. 'Listen, I've gotta go. There's a shuttle waiting for me on the landing strip.' She gave him a quick hug and almost fled from the house. She leaned up against the wall of the house once she was outside. Bad ass marines she could easily handle, but a simple question from her father was another animal entirely. It wasn't just any question though, and that's what really bothered her. _It's just a flling_, she tried to convince herself.

Once her breathing was back under control, she pushed off the wall and went around the corner and to the airfield, all the while trying to push what had just happened out of her mind. As she climbed back into the shuttle, she told the waiting pilot that she needed to get to the _Ddoraig Goch_. She knew that the rumor mill had to have reached the ship she had recently been stationed on.

It was exactly as she imagined it. Glennan let a slight grin cross her face at seeing her former comrades do double-takes when they saw her in her new uniform. But those confused looks quickly turned into smiles. Word had gotten around about what had happened, and she knew that they, especially the marines, were happy that she was able to continue with what she was trained to do.

Before she left, though, she had to see her former roommate. There were a lot of things she had told the higher ranked officer while in their quarters. The biggest discussion was how and why she had been knocked down a grade. Everything had gone according to plan, but a son of one of the EU's bigwigs had almost got himself killed out of stupidity, and because of that everything ended up being her fault. Glennan knew that the EU was behind all this. At least she didn't have to worry about them any more.

Until there was some sort of upgrade to the Colonials communications, it was going to be extremely difficult to talk to Becky. Plus, she knew she was going to miss her friends and fellow officers.

Glennan looked at the lone duffle bag leaning against the bulkhead. That was all she had left on the RN ship. _It's official_, she realized. Admiral Adama is now my ultimate superior, and not the Admiralty. She knew it was going to take some time getting used to the change. It was made worse by the exhaustion that hit her when she stepped back onto the _Galactica_'s hanger deck. Without having to ask, the marines took the duffel bag down to security. That, she was grateful for.

Now, all she wanted was to rest. Without thinking, she moved out of the hanger and into the corridors and to the closest rack she could think of.

* * *

"I cannot believe I'm doing this," Kara muttered darkly. She didn't want to learn another language, what she really wanted to do was to go out and shoot down raiders. But, but here she was, in the CAG's office and trying to work through the latest English lesson. 

Gaeta had offered to help, but she had turned it down out of pride. Now, she was seriously considering requesting the help. Without thinking she pulled out a sheet of paper and started doodling on it. The image was always the same, a wheel within a wheel with bright colors emanating out from it.

_Maybe I can ask Helo. I think he's still on board_, she thought. She stayed there for a few more minutes before finally making her decision. Picking up the pda, she left the office and went in search for the ECO. After some looking, she found him in the forward observation room holding his daughter while looking out the window. What really surprised Kara was the sight of Sharon, watching the two of them with a soft look on her face. "Helo?" For some reason she felt bad interrupting this private moment.

The pilot turned around in surprise. "Starbuck?"

Kara took a few steps down towards the three. "Can I ask you some questions?" she held up the pda.

"Uh, sure," Karl answered while handing Hera to Sharon. "I'll be back."

"What is it you were wanting to ask," Karl said as they stepped into the corridor.

"How in all the gods did you learn this language?" she asked impatiently.

"English?" He backed up a step. "Well, it did help that that was the only language I heard. I kind of had to learn it real quick."

"It's not working for me," she huffed. "I'm never going to learn this language!" she ground out.

'Are you sure about that?' he asked.

'Yes I am sure! They've got three words for _everything_! How am I supposed to know which one to use?! I wouldn't be surprised if I made a complete fool out of myself because of that.' Kara crossed her arms.

Helo shrugged his shoulders. 'You're going to have to just deal with it.'

'You're no help,' she muttered as she turned around sharply and stormed down the corridor. She was going to find Gaeta, even if she had to tear the ship apart.

As luck would have it, she found him coming out of CIC. 'This language is impossible to learn. . .sir,' she almost ground out.

'Why do you say that?' he asked, surprised at Kara's sudden appearance.

'All I know is that I am never going to learn this language,' she shrugged almost helplessly.

'Uh, Kara?'

'What?' She crossed her arms and almost seemed to slide into a fighting stance.

'You're complaining in English,' he answered rather amused.

'What are you talking about? I am not complaining in English!'

Gaeta switched over to the Colonial language, "Starbuck, you are complaining in English."

Kara looked at him in confusion. 'I don't understand what you're saying. . .' The lead pilot glanced at the door that lead into the CIC and then back to Gaeta. "You have got to be kidding," she shook her head.

"No, I wasn't." Something down the corridor caught his attention for a moment. "Now that you can speak English, I think it will be best if you started teaching the pilots."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Starbuck," Gaeta's voice held a note of warning. "You will teach the pilots English because of the Picts that will be coming on board to supplement the personnel that are already here."

"Yes, sir," she conceded.

"And Starbuck?" he said as he passed her, 'You can use either language with me or Glennan.'

"What? I thought she wasn't on board?" the CAG moved quickly to catch up with him.

"She's back. The Terran navy gave her a medical discharge. Admiral Adama didn't want to loose his newly acquired Security Officer. She's one of us now, with the rank of captain."

Kara stopped while nodding. _Maybe I can talk to Lee_, she thought. _Just to see where he's at with learning the language._ With an amused look, she moved back down the corridor and back to her office. There was a comm. unit there and she would easily be able to contact him that way.

TBC...


	60. Chapter 60

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 60  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty_**

Fleet Admiral Pavel Dolohov examined the new protocols that had been recently compiled for the updated electromagnetic pulse weapon. The original version could only infect a non-safeguarded computer, and from there, if it was networked, to the rest of the targeted network. This updated version went straight for the network itself. It was designed to physically destroy the network. _Nasty business,_ he thought. But war was nasty in itself.

The update was subtle as a bull in a china shop. It originally targeted one computer and from there would disrupt the network. This version went straight for the network itself. It had been rushed into production without going through the final tests. Dolohov did not want to go into combat with an untested weapon. The Russian had decided to test it on as little equipment as possible. Most, if not all, of the networks on Pictavia were not protected anymore.

'Is everything ready?' he asked the weapons officer that was behind him.

'Yes, sir.'

'Good. You may activate it when ready.' The test would take place over a four hour period. Only afterwards would he know how well it had succeeded. In the mean time, there were other issues he needed to take care of. In the last few days, he had sent out the first of the small fleets. Those were mainly for eyes and ears where buoys were not located. There were also the strike force ships. Those were the hunters. The best place for the hunters was out there on the edge of the frontier.

Looking over his roster, he found that the _Ddoraig Goch_ was still in the system. Not for long though. Dolohov was preparing to send her out to do what she was designed for. It surprised him somewhat to find O'Bryan as her captain instead of O'Neill. A footnote stated that Orbach had her former captain transferred planetside for "extenuating circumstances". Dolohov didn't really question it because Orbach had the authorization to perform such actions.

Making his decision, he transcribed new orders for the vessel. He then scrambled it for captain's eyes only on a datastick and saved it.

'Boris, have this sent over to the captain of the _Ddoraig Goch_ on the Priority One channel.' Pavel handed the datastick over to his aide.

'Yes, sir.' Boris nodded and quickly left the room.

There were several more orders he had to fill out. One, surprisingly enough, was for Orbach. It had been long enough since the Martok War that a good portion of the upper command staff on the ships had no combat experience whatsoever. He knew he needed the captains and admirals out there that knew what they were doing. And Orbach was one of them. Dolohov wanted O'Neill, but with her medical condition it wasn't conducive for her to be out there in a battle situation. Orbach, he thought, was wise to finally plant her somewhere she could do at least some good. There were several other orders he had to fill out and have sent to the appropriate ship captains.

Pavel pushed back from the desk once he was finished. He preferred to be hands on when it concerned weapons testing. It took him a few minutes to get to the bridge. Once he was there, he looked over the instrumentation and the computers that were deliberately unshielded. Dolohov attempted to log on using a fake ID, but soon found out that he couldn't access any network information. He sat back while looking at the monitor thoughtfully.

'Sir?' Captain Paul Hatcher came up.

'Yes, Captain?' he turned to look at the ship's captain.

'The weapons officer has reported that the test was successful.' He handed over a datastick.

'Good. I read O'Neill's report on how these Cylons do not have security for their networks. This should catch their attention. No?'

'Yes, sir,' Hatcher nodded with a smile.

'Inform the admirals that the test has been successful.'

Hatcher nodded and braced himself as he was dismissed.

* * *

Laura sat back with a sigh. It had been a long day and she wanted nothing more than to spend a relaxing evening with Bill. Ambassador Garcia seemed to realize that she really didn't care what he thought. She had decided early on to ignore what anyone else thought, her goal was to take care of her people. 

Being alone had a calming effect on her. It was something that she needed now more than ever. The view outside the window gave her a smile. On one side she could see the new military base quickly taking shape, while on the other she could see just in the distance the rows of houses that had been provided for her people. Almost all the calls she received since she had signed the treaty had been positive. A good portion of the comments, though, had to be because they were not running any more.

"Ma'am?" Billy moved through the door from his office.

Laura turned. "Yes?"

"The new military liaison has arrived. If you're not ready, I can have - -"

She interrupted, "It's all right, Billy. You can send him in." _I hope I can understand him,_ she thought as she sat down back in her chair.

"Hello, Madam President."

Laura did a double take. "Captain? What?"

Captain Mair O'Neill moved easily through the door and towards the desk. "I know you are wondering why I'm here."

"This is a surprise," Laura rose from her chair and moved around the desk. "Please, have a seat," she indicated the couch to the side.

Mair shook her head slightly.

"All right," Laura leaned up against her desk. "Are you the new liaison?"

Mair gave her a slight smile. "Yes. Admiral Orbach wanted someone here that could understand the language and was familiar with your issues."

"So he tapped you." Laura glanced down for a moment before continuing, "May I ask you a question? If you don't want to answer it, that's okay."

The Terran captain hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"You disappeared. Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Madam President." Mair gave her a slight laugh in amusement. "I just cannot be stationed on a ship at this time."

A knowing look crossed Laura's face. "I see. Can I ask who?"

"My husband. And I don't normally talk about him because it's private, Madam President." Mair ended the line of questioning abruptly.

Billy broke the awkward silence that Mair's comment had produced. "Ma'am? Captain? Major Gaeta is here."

"Good, send him in," Laura answered never taking her eyes off O'Neill. As Billy turned around Laura gave her a slight smile, easing the sudden tension. "I understand, and I won't order you to answer."

Gaeta stepped through the door and hesitated for a moment before taking another few steps forward. "Madam President." He turned his attention to Mair and continued, "Are you the new liaison, sir?"

Mair gave him a gracious smile, "Yes, I am."

"Captain, I'm here to escort you to the _Galactica_." He indicated the door, "If you will come this way, sir?"

Mair nodded and followed the younger officer out of the presidential ship and toward the growing military base/civilian air and space port. It didn't surprise O'Neill that much to find a raptor ready and waiting for them.

Once they were on the battlestar Gaeta picked up a comm. unit and spoke into it. "Come with me," he said once he disconnected the line. They took what seemed like a round about way towards the front of the ship. Making the last turn, Mair realized they were headed towards CIC. She had been there one time before. "Admiral Adama's in here." Gaeta came up to the door and let one of the marines open it up for him.

Stepping into the mid level of the CIC Mair easily noticed the supplemental crew. The room didn't look understaffed anymore. She looked around for a moment, noting who did which job. The Colonials looked to be the leads in all the departments while the Picts were their assistants.

They wound their way down to the bottom area where Adama was speaking in low tones to one of the female Colonial officers. Just from the set of her shoulders Mair could tell she was very tired.

"Sir," Gaeta said as he reached the board in the center of the room.

"Have you brought the new liaison, XO?" Adama asked as he turned his attention towards the new arrivals. He blinked his eyes in surprise. "You?"

"Sir, Admiral Orbach wanted someone here that was familiar with your unique issues," Mair answered with a slight smile on her face.

Adama nodded. "Will you be here or planetside?"

"That, sir, depends on where I'm needed."

"Good." Adama turned his attention back to the female officer, she had moved off to do something else. "Captain, continue on."

Mair's eyes widened in surprise when she realized who it was. 'Glennan? Why are you here?' she asked as she closed the distance between them.

Angela turned and looked at her with a cringe of guilt. 'I'm sorry, sir. I tried to reach you, but I wasn't able too.'

'I'm sorry about that. I was transferred planetside for personal reasons,' Mair explained. 'What happened?' she asked while indicating the different uniform.

_Personal?_ 'Sir, after I was released from the hospital I was given a medical discharge. I came up here earlier in this week to collect my things, but Adama game me a commission in the Colonial navy as a captain. And. . .the CMO put me on light duty. Though I'm not sure how long I'll be on lld.'

_Good for him_. _But why. . ._ 'Why are you here?' she asked while indicating the room they were in.

'I found out from Gaeta that they were planning an exercise. I made some tactical comment, and he relayed it to Adama. The Admiral wanted to see what I could do, so here I am.' Glennan shrugged her shoulders. 'Sir, I. . .' she indicated the terminal she had been working at.

'Of course, I understand.' Mair nodded and backed away from her former officer.

* * *

Chief Petty Officer and lead mechanic, Galen Tyrol hurt. It felt like he had been on the loosing end of a boxing match, but there was no match. Then there was the ringing in his ears that he had to deal with. He tried not to let it affect how he directed the deck crew, but it couldn't be helped. They scurried away as soon as they saw him coming. 

"Sir?"

"What?!" Tyrol spun around suddenly, only to find Cally cringing away. "I'm sorry," he answered as he massaged his temples.

"Sir, you need to go to Life Station," she stated.

Tyrol looked around for a moment. The people all seemed extremely busy and interested in what they were doing. "Did the others put you up to it?"

"If I said 'yes' would you still go?"

Tyrol almost snapped at her, but managed to hold back. He could tell she was concerned for him and his health. "All right, I'll go," he finally capitulated. As he was leaving the hanger deck he never saw Cally turn around and give the other's a thumbs up.

When he got to Life Station he pushed himself up on a stretcher. The whole thing was strange. He found that he was loosing his balance. Whatever was happening was not good.

"So, what's wrong?" Cottle asked while stuffing a pack of cigarettes back in his lab coat pocket.

"I don't know. I feel like I've been beaten up?" Tyrol shook his head.

"You haven't been playing any pyramid?"

"No, definitely not! It's been years since I played that." He rubbed his temples again, "I've also got ringing in my ears."

"Interesting," Cottle muttered. "Have you ever had any of these symptoms before?" he asked as he started writing in Tyrol's chart.

"Not that I can remember." Tyrol winced as he shook his head. "It just started up earlier today."

"Anything else?" Cottle set the chart down and reached for his stethoscope.

"Not really, though it felt like I was loosing my balance on the way here."

Cottle nodded then had Tyrol go through the usual tests. He recorded the younger noncoms responces with a high amount of interest. "As soon as I know what's going on, I'll have you informed."

"You don't know what's wrong?"

Jack shook his head, "Not at the moment." He planned on talking to Jankowitz as soon as possible. Cottle was eager to hopefully dismiss the possibility that this could be a Terran disease that they weren't notified about. "I want you to go back to your rack and get some rest. I don't want you back on the hanger deck until tomorrow."

"Yes, doctor," for once Tyrol didn't argue with Cottle's orders. He felt like crap. Once on his feet he waivered for a moment before grabbing the stretcher. "Sorry, I can't seem to keep my balance."

"You're going to stay here," Cottle revised his orders. "Get back on the stretcher and lay down this time," the CMO ordered. As Tyrol pushed himself back onto the stretcher Cottle moved away to talk to one of the med techs. Since the room had no real walls, Jack had curtains put around Tyrol so he would be in a semi private area.

TBC...


	61. Chapter 61

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 61  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty-one_**

Lee looked at the comm. unit and debated on whether or not to make the call. He was worried about Tigh and how he seemed to be drinking more than ever. Something was not right. Not only that, there was another military exercise scheduled to start within the day. Lee had to admit Tigh was a highly functioning drunk, but this was too much.

"I need to talk to Admiral Adama," he said into the hand set.

_"Adama."_

"Sir, I, uh, think something might be wrong with Tigh."

_"Really? Why do you think that?"_

"I know he drinks, but this is too much. Plus there's the exercise coming up."

_"I see. . .I can't have the_ Pegasus _pull out because of Tigh. You know what we're planning."_

"Yes, sir. I'll make sure that the _Pegasus_ is there." _And have Tigh in Life Station even if he refuses._ He let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. Things were not happening the way he wanted. Added to that, he was still working on learning English. Now to let his commanding officer know what was happening. Lee looked around the corridor as he left his cabin. He knew it wouldn't take long to get to Tigh's cabin seeing that the _Pegasus_ was set up the same way as the _Galactica_.

"Sir?" he asked as he knocked on Tigh's door. Not hearing anything, he opened the door, "Sir?" Lee asked as he stepped inside. "Are you all right?"

Tigh was sitting on his rack with his head in his hands. "I can't seem to clear my head," he mumbled.

As Lee approached, he could easily smell the alcohol. "Sir, I don't think you'll be ready for the exercise."

Tigh's head shot up and he quickly got to his feet. Moments later his face paled as he wavered, struggling to keep his balance. He sat back down before Lee could do anything. "Maybe I should lay down."

"I can have someone from Life Station come by to take a look at you," Lee offered.

Tigh answered by reaching for the half filled bottle that was within reach.

"Sir, you don't want to do that. It won't clear your head." Lee reached for the bottle. Without thinking, Tigh's other fist came up and around to connect with the side of Lee's head. Lee's arm came up just as fast to deflect the blow. It was not what he was expecting. With a jerk he yanked the bottle out of Tigh's hand and backed up several steps. Not taking any more chances, he went over to the small office area and called Life Station. He might not like it, but Tigh was going to spend time there detoxing.

Some time later, Lee stood in CIC looking over the stations after the exercise. The Terrans had done surprisingly well considering how new they were to the tactics that the Colonial Military had used in the past. For the Terrans, anything and everything helped.

"Tell me I didn't make an ass out of myself," Tigh muttered. It had been 12 hours since the exercise.

"Only in your quarters, sir," Lee answered.

"Gods," the older officer muttered as he rubbed his face. "I don't know what came over me."

"It was the alcohol. I think you really need to cut back on it, sir."

"I know," he sniffed then slowly stood up. Without a word being said, Lee quickly escorted Tigh back to his cabin. "Thank you," he simply said as he closed the door.

"That went well," Lee muttered as he turned to head back to CIC.

* * *

"So, it went well?" Laura asked as she reached for a glass of water that was offered.

Bill answered with a slight smile, "Better than I expected. The older captains didn't hesitate like the younger ones.

"Then again, they might not have had combat experience." Laura took a sip of the clear liquid then set the glass down on the coffee table. "So they were ready for you this time."

"That's about right."

"You know, Bill, they've offered me a house to move into while I'm president. If I accept it, it'll be harder to make excuses to come up here." She sighed, "I know I've said it before, but now I'm not really sure if I should make an official run for President."

"Do you really want to do it?"

Laura shook her head helplessly, "I don't know anymore."

"The key is not to be able to lead during crisis, but during peace. This can be your greatest challenge."

"What about reaching Earth? The prophesy stated that it would be a dying leader."

"Are we on Earth?"

"No, but - -"

"Then we never reached Earth." Bill put his own glass down, "Which reminds me, I need to talk to the Terran Admiral about having a few of my officers go with them."

Laura nodded, "By all means."

_This should be interesting_, Bill thought as he went over to his office. He had only contacted Admiral Dolohov through Orbach. This time he had to go straight to Dolohov, Orbach had already been sent out with one of the many Terran fleets.

"Admiral, this is Admiral Adama,"

"_This is Captain Hatcher, I will be acting as translator. How can I help you?"_

"I would like to have some of my officers accompany you." Bill let his eyes wander across the room before having them settle on the table. There were several folders strewn across it.

_"Do they understand English?"_

"Two of them are still in the process of learning. I would say they're at least somewhat proficient in the language."

_"I see. What are their strengths?"_

"Two pilots, one with tactical and intelligence experience, and one that can also translate."

There was a pause before Hatcher answered, _"Admiral Dolohov is looking forward to meeting with them."_

Adama replaced the comm. unit and sat back in the chair. Like the exercise, it had gone better than expected.

"Sounds like it went well." Laura came around the corner and stood before him with her arms folded.

"I would think it's because of our knowledge of the cylons." Bill removed his glasses and held them in his hands.

"Why don't you relax?" she asked as she moved around his desk and stood behind him. "To my knowledge, there are no pressing issues you need to take care of." Laura lightly placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Except Tigh. Lee told me after the fact that he wasn't able to participate in the exercise. He said there was something oddly wrong with him, but their doctor can't figure out what it was."

"Bill, there's nothing you can do about that at this moment. Plus when do those officers need to report to Dolohov?"

"I can tell them tomorrow." He got up and went back to the couch. "You know I rarely use that." Bill looked at Laura with an amused look on his face. She was over by the flat monitor bolted to the bulkhead.

"But I have found that the Terran movies aren't that bad. Plus they make sure that the main actors speak our language."

"I would hope so."

"Don't be all maudlin. It shouldn't be that bad."

* * *

The four Colonial officers that Adama had tapped to be with the Terrans were now gathered together just inside the airlock of the supercarrier. For now, they would be together. They were met by a middle aged officer. "Admiral Adama said that you understand English."

'That is correct.'

'Good.' The man nodded to each officer, 'Welcome on board. I'm Captain Hatcher, Captain of the Supercarrier_ Yorktown_. While the stewards make sure your things are stowed away Admiral Dolohov would like to meet with you.'

'That will be good, sir,' Lee stumbled slightly over the words.

'This way,' Hatcher indicated the inner airlock door.

"This is worse than that other ship," Kara muttered under her breath as they made another turn. This ship was larger than the _Galactica_ and it was a pure carrier. That meant it could house more squadrons than the Mercury class battlestars.

"Quiet!" Lee hissed.

The blonde pilot glared at him before turning her attention back to the Terran captain that was in front of them. She knew it was best to keep an eye on him since the layout of the ship seemed bassakward to her. Just the thought of getting lost was enough to keep her from mouthing off at Lee.

They remained quiet for the rest of the trip. The thought that she might end up living on this ship for the next few years sobered her up. For one, Adama wasn't going to be there. The room the eventually found themselves in looked like a foyer of some kind with an open door leading into an office.

Dolohov came out of the office and looked over the exchange officers with a critical eye. 'Admiral Adama said you could speak English.'

'Yes, sir,' Lee answered. _This will be difficult. I can barely understand what's going on._ At that moment Lee understood what Glennan went through when she first came on board the _Galactica._

'Good. We will be heading out in five hours.' Dolohov dismissed them with a quick nod then went back to his office. For the Colonial officers the rest of the day seemed to fly by. It was only much later that the Colonial officers (except Glennan) realized that they had been on their way. They were waiting for the announcement to prepare for the FTL jumps.

The next day the visiting Colonial officers had chosen different officers to shadow for their first few days. It was more for the Colonials to get used to the way the Terran ship operated.

They were to join one of the advance fleets on the frontier. All the while they remained hyperaware of the knowledge that the Cylons could show up at any moment. What they found would only be the beginning. The Cylons had begun testing to see how strong this new power was. They had sent a single basestar just outside of range. As soon as the Terran fleet moved within radar distance the Cylons jumped away. This went on for several days.

"They're toying with them," Lee muttered.

"Which is about right." Gaeta looked around the Terrans version of CIC. "We should just move past them."

"Do you know where they're going? Dolohov seems very quiet about their plans."

"Not really." He glared at Lee's amused look, "And it's not because of Angela."

"I didn't say anything," Lee winked at him as he moved to another are of the room.

_Why me?_ The slightly junior ranked officer closed his eyes. _Just because we decided to get married because of the seriousness of the war doesn't mean she tells me what she doesn't know._ It had been a quiet civil ceremony because of the radical differences in what they believed in.

'Hatcher, have the fleet jump five minutes beyond where we know the Cylons are,' Dolohov ordered. 'And have the _Wakizahi_ stay here.'

'Yes, sir.' The kiwi nodded.

'Have the weapons online the moment we leave hyperspace.' _Let's see how they handle something like this_, the Russian thought with amusement.

When they appeared back in real space they were almost flush up against the Cylon basestar. The surprise was almost complete, but the Cylons proved to be fast on their feet. They were too close to the Terran fleet to let their missiles out without damaging themselves, so they had to back away as quickly as possible.

'Open a channel.'

'Open,' the communications officer reported.

'You do not want to do this. As of right now you're surrounded.'

'Sir, they're attempting to send an electronic attack,' the main tactical officer reported.

_'Nothing will stop us.'_

'Tell the _Wakizahi_ that they're free to fire at any time,' Pavel ordered. 'Are you sure about that?' he addressed the Cylons. About a minute later the ship collapsed in on itself in an explosion.

'They'll never learn.'

TBC...


	62. Chapter 62

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 62  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Not beta'ed (please be gentle!)  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty-two_**

_I want you to head down and see what you can find out what the Cylon knows_, Bill's words echoed in Tigh mind. This was not what he was expecting. Truth be told, he didn't know what to expect. He knew Lee had told Bill about his actions during that last exercise.

"This should be interesting," he muttered as he boarded one of the raptors. It was only when he realized that he might not understand everyone. "Just great." He shook his head.

The compound was much larger than he expected. Tigh pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind as he stepped out of the raptor. He wasn't told either way by Adama, so he wore his blue day uniform.

"Commander Tigh?" a woman's voice came from the side.

"What?" he turned around in surprise.

"Oh, I thought you were told. . ." The woman shook her head while holding out her hand. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Courtney Bennett. I've been the official translator between our two peoples. I was told you are here to see the Cylon?"

_This gets better and better_, he mused. "Yes."

"Good. If you will follow me, please?" she said as she indicated the direction they were to go. Even though he kept up with her, Tigh was lost in thought about everything that was going on.

" - - everyone's protection."

Saul focused on the woman again, "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying any attention. You were saying?" he tried to be cordial.

"It's all right. We've been keeping her isolated for everyone's protection. There have been some issues trying to deal with her though. Plus, I'm not sure how much you'll be able to understand her, she's only been speaking in English."

"Typical skin job," he murmured under his breath. The facility she brought him towards reminded him of some of the older mental facilities back on Caprica. "What else?" he asked a little louder.

"Only that she seems very lost and scared." Courtney placed her palm on the plate beside the door. After a moment it opened, and they went into the building. He was struck at the similarities with how the building was set up. Tigh quickly pushed that to the back of his mind as they turned another corner. Down the hall he could see two Terran marines standing guard outside one of the private rooms. He didn't have to be told that was the room the Cylon was in. What surprised him was that they let him in almost immediately. Saul turned and watched as the door closed behind him. When he turned back around he let his eyes scan the room.

There was a single bed and a small table and chair, all were bolted to the floor. The Cylon was huddled in the corner. He saw what she was doing as an act. Ever since the First Cylon War, and then what Valerii did to Adama, he was very skeptical with what she had to say.

"You?" she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I would like to ask the same of you," he answered gruffly. _What?_

She shook her head then wiped her eyes with her palms. "I don't know. I just remember waking up here."

Saul folded his arms. "I don't believe you."

The cylon pushed herself to her feet and leaned into the corner. "I know why you are here."

"All right, tell me why I'm here," Tigh finally asked.

She looked down while picking at the hem of her shirt. "You're here to take me back. I'm sorry that it didn't work."

"So you do know what you were programmed to do," Saul answered with a smirk on his face.

"No. I told you I don't remember," she cried as she put her face in her hands. "Why don't you believe me?"

"I will when you tell me the truth," Tigh took a step towards the cylon, but stopped leaving plenty of room between them.

For a moment it looked like she was ready to vault over the furniture towards him, but she didn't. Instead she slid down the wall and sat on the floor once again. "Please. . ."

Tigh shook his head. Even he could tell she had mentally and emotionally shut herself off from him. Whatever he said now, he knew she would not answer. "Forget it," he muttered while backing towards the door. He slipped outside once he felt the door open.

"That's all," he said to no on in particular.

"Of course, Commander," Courtney answered. She had watched the entire encounter with interest through the window. As they left, Tigh shook his head. In his estimation nothing had come out of the trip. _All this way for nothing_.

He would make his report after he had time to think about what just happened.

* * *

Adama looked over the controls within the raptor. Lee had never told him who it was that headed up the black market. Ever since his son had that little talk with them the organization had gone under the DRADIS. That was fine with him, but with the new settlement there needed to be better rules.

That was the reason for him heading out. No one except a few people knew about this trip. The fewer the better in his estimation. He looked out the front and nodded towards Tyrol. It was good to see him out of Life Station. The lead mechanic was still a little pale, but he looked a whole lot better than he did just a few days ago. Specialist Henderson seemed to be hovering around him more than was usual for her. The sight piqued his interest somewhat, but he pushed the thoughts to the side so he could prepare the raptor for flight.

From his sources, Adama knew the man who was in control of the black market was still on the _Prometheus_. He did have to admit, it felt good to fly again, and the trip to the civilian ship took less time than he anticipated. And in a way he wasn't that surprised when the guards commented that they were expecting him. What bothered him was how dilapidated the ship looked from the inside. It looked to be barely flightworthy, and to think that they had been running the black market out of the ship really amazed him. It also brought home what the civilians had been dealing with ever since their flight from Ragnar.

"Why are you here?" Hatcher said while leaning back in his chair.

Adama folded his arms. "I'm here to warn you."

"Warn?" Hatcher gave him an amused look.

Bill took a step forward and leaned over the desk. "I could have had your operation shut down." He straightened up before continuing, "But I'm not. I'm giving you a chance to have this operation become a legitimate market on the planet. Pictavia's resources can easily outstrip whatever you _might_ be able to come up with if you stay like this. So, it's your decision." Adama's words seemed to sober the man up, but not by much. "Either be shut down or go public."

"You're not giving me much of a choice."

"That's the idea. You should be thankful that I'm telling you this in the first place." Adama looked around the room before bringing his attention back to Hatcher, "I expect an answer within the next day."

Adama turned around to leave never noticing Hatcher waiving his hand. Bill knew he would get an answer within the time frame he had demanded. He had effectively backed Hatcher into a corner, and given him one way to get out. Turning his back on Hatcher also showed the civilian that he meant what he said.

In a way he felt it was a let down not being restrained on the way back to the raptor. It didn't bother Adama though. He would get an answer by tomorrow.

The trip back to the _Galactica_ was about as uneventful as the trip out to the _Prometheus_.

"Sir, how did it go?" Tyrol asked as he climbed off the wing and jumped onto the deck.

"As well as to be expected, Chief," he answered. Bill glanced around to the vipers that were still being repaired before leaving the hanger bay. He had a lot to think about, including his future. Adama knew if he wanted, he could move down to the planet and appoint someone else as the _Galactica_'s commander. They were in a safe harbor, so he didn't have to personally command the _Galactica_ anymore.

He wouldn't do it until Gaeta came back. Kelly was not ready for any type of command, and would never truly be either. Even now, Bill could tell how nervous and uncomfortable he was as acting XO.

"A credit for your thoughts?" Laura said from behind him.

"Madam President?" Bill stopped in surprise. "I didn't know you were coming on board." He waited for her to catch up with him. "Is there something you wanted to say?" he said as they began moving back down the corridor.

"What's wrong with me speaking to the Admiral of my military?" she asked with a slight smile in her voice.

"Nothing that I know of," he answered mildly.

Laura's voice turned more controlled, "Good, because there is something important I want to discuss with you."

"Of course, Madam President," he answered formally. He quickly escorted her the rest of the way to his cabin. The moment he closed the hatch he leaned up against the wall while folding his arms, "What's so important that couldn't be mentioned out in the corridor?" His seemingly stern words were softened with a slight smile that crossed his face.

"It's about the future. Yours, mine, everyone. . ."

Bill pushed himself from the wall and moved over to his small bar. "You're talking about the Presidency?"

"A little." She graciously accepted the glass of clear liquid. "Bill, I've made my decision," Laura said.

He fingered the glass for a moment before taking a sip. "And?" he prompted.

"I've decided to go ahead and run one more time." Laura looked at the liquid in her glass for a moment before bringing her attention back to Adama.

"I'll do what I can to support you." He reached out and grasped her shoulder before moving towards the couch.

"I appreciate it." She gave out a short laugh when she sat down. "Remember when I first came on board as President?"

"Don't remind me."

"I won't anymore," she answered with a smile. "Have you heard anything from Apollo?"

Bill reached over and retrieved a piece of paper. "I received this a few days ago. It seems like he's doing all right. They had recently reached what the Terrans consider the frontier and have started pushing into Cylon controlled space."

"How long ago was that?" she asked as she leaned over.

"It looks like it was early last week." He glanced to the side as he put the paper back where he found it. "I'm considering transferring planetside."

To Laura the comment seemed to come out of the blue. "Are you sure about that?"

He put the paper back where he had retrieved it. "I'm not retiring yet, but I could do the same work on the planet that I do up here."

"Who will take over here?"

"No one at the moment. This will only happen after they get back."

TBC...


	63. Chapter 63

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 63  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel 

Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty-three_**

Tigh looked at the half drunk bottle of alcohol on the table. It had been a day since he had talked to the Cylon prisoner, yet he was no closer to figuring out what she had meant than when he first left. He tiredly rubbed his face. At this point in time he was just waiting for Bill's call. If the Cylon had never seen him before then why, he wondered, did she know who he was. The only explanation he could come up with was that they all had a shared conscious.

He ignored the door opening up. The only officer that had permission to do that was the CMO. Tigh, though, was not in the mood to talk to the _Pegasus_'s doctor.

"What?" he almost snarled.

"I thought you'd be interested in knowing that someone else had the same symptoms you had," Major Jackson said while moving towards the table. Without thought, he grasped the bottle and pulled it out of Tigh's reach.

"Gimme that," Saul lurched towards Jackson, but stumbled against the table. It was only then that Jackson's words penetrated his thoughts. "What, or who is it?"

The doctor moved towards the head while saying over his shoulder, "Cottle told me his name is Tyrol. He had the same symptoms, but much stronger." He returned several minutes later with an empty bottle. "Commander," he said as he placed it on the table, "I'm not going to let you continue on this path to death."

"It's my body, and I can do what I please," Tigh grumbled.

"Not while I'm your doctor. It's my job to make sure you stay healthy enough to command. You're not helping the issue by getting drunk." Jackson stepped back and folded his arms.

"You're dismissed," Tigh almost growled as he stared at the empty bottle. It was almost an hour later when he felt sufficiently calmed down enough to see if he could talk to Tyrol. He picked up the comm. unit over in his office area. "Get me Admiral Adama."

There was a few minutes of silence before Bill's voice came out the small speaker. _"Adama."_

"Bill, I want to talk to Chief Tyrol."

_"Because?"_ Adama's voice was slightly guarded.

"It's something only he can answer," Saul responded cryptically.

_"I see."_ Bill seemed to debate it for a few moments before continuing, _"All right. You can talk to him."_ The line went silent during the transfer. Eventually Tyrol's voice came across, _"Tyrol here."_

"Chief this is Tigh. I need to ask you something. Did anything unusual happen during that last military exercise the Terrans conducted?"

_"Not that I know about. I was in life station during the last half. You'll have to talk to someone else."_

"What were your symptoms? Headache, ringing ears and no real balance?"

The line was quiet for some time before Tyrol answered, _"Yes, sir."_

"And they started early in the exercise?" Tigh prompted. When there was no answer he answered for the noncom. "Son, I had the same symptoms, but not as strong. The _Galactica_ was next to that big Terran carrier and the _Pegasus_ was on the other side of the planet.

_"Can I ask what they were testing?"_

"An electromagnetic weapon that hits the computer network," Tigh answered grimly. _Frak_, he realized. "Do you know what this means?"

_"I think so,"_ the noncom. answered grimly.

"Except for a short time, I've been a Colonial military officer for forty years. No matter what, my first duty is to see that we are safe from the Cylons," Tigh answered grimly.

_"Same here,"_ Tyrol answered with the same amount of conviction.

As Tigh replaced the comm. unit his mind went back to the conversation he had with the Cylon prisoner. It was all very clear why she acted the way she did. He still had no idea how she knew him. Saul could not remember meeting her in person before a time the Holocaust. Now, he had no idea what he was going to tell Bill. He felt obligated to tell him, but concerned how his old friend would handle the revelation. But, he realized it could be worse if Bill found out from someone else.

Tigh sighed as he began pulling his report together. He would give it to Bill tomorrow. He only hoped that the rumors didn't get started before then.

The next day, as he stepped out of the raptor onto the _Galactica_'s deck, he glanced around for Tyrol. "How was your flight, sir?" the younger man asked from right behind him.

"As well as to be expected," Tigh gruffly answered.

"I heard there's someone else that had the same symptoms. She's on the planet though," Tyrol said quietly.

"Who?" He turned towards Adama, who was approaching them.

"Tory Foster." More loudly, he continued, "We'll make sure your raptor is good to go when you leave, sir."

"Chief," Tigh nodded then turned his attention to Bill.

"Welcome back." Bill reached out a hand.

"I was only on the other side of the planet," Saul answered with a slight smile as he took the proffered hand. "And I think you know why I'm here." He gave him a knowing look. "I felt it better to talk to you in your office."

Adama nodded. The request was odd in his estimation, but he would humor his old friend. When they reached Adama's quarters Tigh closed the door behind them while sighing.

"What?" Bill looked at him in confusion.

"This is partly because of me going down to talk to the Cylon prisoner. She said something that really bothered me." He paused before continuing, "She recognized me. I assumed it was because of a possible shared consciousness that they might have, but it didn't sit well with me."

Bill folded his arms while looking at Tigh critically. "Continue."

"There was a reason why I wanted to talk to Tyrol." He stopped when the tone sounded that announced that someone was outside. "Chief?" Bill stepped back seeing that Tyrol was standing in the corridor. He glanced back to Tigh, "Is this the reason you wanted to talk to him?"

"Yes."

Adama turned his full attention back to Tigh. "So, the Cylon recognized you?" He turned to Tyrol and made the assumption, "You too?"

"Not me, sir. But I had the same symptoms that Commander Tigh had when the Terrans were testing that weapon that went for the network."

"I see," Adama said slowly. He seemed to come to a decision and got in his face. "Who are you?" he ordered with a low voice.

"My first and only duty is being a Commander in the Colonial military."

Tigh's answer seemed to mollify Adama somewhat, but he knew the thought of having his most senior officer a Cylon was difficult to take. "And you?" Adama turned his attention to Tyrol.

"I'm under your command, sir."

Bill sighed. This was not what he had hoped for. "Don't move," he ordered the two as he went over to his desk. Picking up the comm. he spoke quietly in it then returned. "Until I know I can trust you I will have marines escort you to two empty cabins that are available."

The two Cylons nodded. "I understand, sir," Tyrol answered for himself and Tigh.

A few minutes later the marines arrived. Adama gave them their orders and as soon as he was alone in his cabin he muttered, "I need a drink."

* * *

Billy looked over the announcement President Roslin was to make later today. He had to admit, it was nice living on a planet and breathing fresh air. There were several modular homes available. He was looking forward to going out and looking them over. That wouldn't happen until he made sure that the announcement went without a hitch.

He looked up when the door opened. "Tory?" he asked in surprise. "How are you feeling?"

The Caprican sighed. "Somewhat better. I think I might not have had all the immunizations," she commented. "Or, it could have been a bad inner ear infection."

"You didn't go to the clinic?" Billy asked in surprise.

"No," she shook her head slowly. She had figured out very quickly what she could and could not do. "But maybe I should have," Tory commented as she sat down.

"It would have made it a whole lot easier to deal with," Billy mumbled as he once again looked over the points Roslin was to cover.

"So, is President Roslin going to run for reelection?" Tory asked as she began organizing the things on her desk.

"I believe so, it's her final decision though."

"Billy, could you come . . .Tory? It's good to see you again. Are you feeling better?" Laura moved into the room towards the older aide.

"Yes, ma'am." Tory nodded.

"That's good. If you need more time off, don't hesitate to ask, all right?" Laura glanced towards Billy for a moment then indicated her office before turning her attention back to Tory.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'll take it into consideration."

Laura placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder and then moved back into her office. "Do you have both statements ready?" she asked as she closed the curtain.

"Yes, ma'am," Billy nodded while handing several sheets of paper over to her. "I thought you had finalized your decision to run again."

Laura shook her head while sitting down at her desk. "I still have things I have to deal with personally."

"Your announcement will be in an hour," Billy reminded her.

"Don't remind me," Laura rested her face in her hands. "It is good to see Tory back," Laura straightened up in her chair.

"There's something else," Billy gave her a slight smile while handing an envelope over.

"Hmm. . ." she looked at the plain envelope for a moment before opening it up. Her eyes lightened up before they became guarded. "Thank you, Billy. I'll let you know of my decision before the announcement," she dismissed her aide. When she was alone she indulged in a sigh as she sat back in her chair. The message helped solidify her decision. It made the wait easier to deal with. Getting up, she moved into the press area. They were all waiting expectantly for her announcement.

"Good afternoon," she nodded. "I know there have been a lot of rumors on whether or not I will run for President for the next term. I am here to put to rest those rumors." She paused to take a breath. "I have decided to announce my candidacy for President. That is all," she finished then went back into her office leaving the press to report the news to the citizens.

TBC...


	64. Chapter 64

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 64  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty-four_**

Tigh looked around the room. It had been almost five months since he let out that bombshell about the cylon thing. Since then, he had spent most of his time being confined to quarters. It's not that he didn't like it, Saul Tigh wanted to prove to Bill that he was the same person he had known since that civilian freighter they both worked on as deck hands.

When he found out about the surgery, he had jumped at the chance. This way he would not be a threat, but at the same time, still fulfill his role in the military until his retirement.

The one thing he could sense was that all his senses seemed muted, and it was not because of any alcohol - which was another odd thing. For one, he didn't have an overwhelming urge to drink. Granted, he still liked alcohol, but he could tell he didn't need it anymore.

The doctor walked in. "How are you feeling today, Commander?" he asked. Even with the cordial tone it wasn't hard to notice the two marines following her into the room.

Saul indicated the walls. "As well as can be, stuck here."

The doctor, who remained nameless, nodded in sympathy while going about her normal procedures.

"How long am I going to stay here?" _The Brig would be better than this place_.

"That depends on whether or not Admiral Adama sees you as not being a threat anymore," Mair answered from the hall.

Before Saul could say anything, the doctor glared at the newcomer. She said something quietly to O'Neill before leaving in a huff. "Captain?" he asked as the Terran entered the room. The marines looked at her with a questioning glance for a moment until she nodded. They immediately left, but stayed just outside. It was obvious that she was pregnant, which explained why she was the liaison now instead of being in combat. "You trust me?" he finally asked with some humor.

"You always have to start somewhere, Commander," Mair answered. "You should already know by now that I have some of the same blood you have. That means that I am one of your kind, in a roundabout way."

Saul nodded. "Why are you here?" He folded his arms and leaned back against the pillows.

"To find out what you know about the FTL drive. And, if possible, how to interface it into a non Colonial vessel."

Tigh laughed. "You're asking me? It's been at least 40 years since I did anything like that."

"You're also a Cylon," Mair pointed out.

"You need to talk to Tyrol. He knows a hell of a lot more about the FTL drive than I will ever know."

"I will. But I wanted to talk to you first. And Commander, this is not an interrogation. From what I've heard, you've done nothing to warrant a removal and jail for who or what you are."

"Tell that to Bill," Tigh grumbled.

"Don't worry, I will." Mair turned to leave.

"And remind him about Tyrol and what he did for him," Tigh called as she moved into the hall.

Mair paused before moving down the hall. Tigh's last comment made her wonder just what really was going on. From the Cylon's comments it seemed that Adama had taken it very personally. The other door she stopped at had two marine guards standing guard. She nodded and pushed the door open. Galen Tyrol was sitting on the side of the bed with his head in his hands. "Tyrol?" she asked while standing just over the threshold inside the room.

"Ma'am?" he jerked around suddenly.

"I'm not going to hurt you. The question is, what are you going to do?" she asked straight out.

He shook his head. "I haven't done anything. In fact, I've worked my ass off for the Admiral."

Mair looked at him for a minute before saying, "Then get your things. You're coming with me."

"N-now?" Tyrol backed up in surprise.

"Unless you want to stay here." Mair backed out of the room and into the hallway.

Tyrol stood there in shock for a few minutes before he turned and carefully opened the closet and grabbed what few belongings he had. He knew he had a chance to redeem himself once more. Nothing would stand in his way to make sure that not only the ones he worked for, but the Terrans and Picts could trust him.

He poked his head out of the room and was surprised to find the marines were gone. "Captain?" he asked as he indicated where they had stood on either side of the door.

"Yes, and as you have probably noticed, this is a test on whether or not I can trust you, which I have offered. The question is if it is a wasted effort or not."

"No, ma'am," Tyrol shook his head. "I promise, this will not be wasted effort on your part."

"Good. We've got a Pict Corvette that needs to be interfaced with one of your FTL drives."

Tyrol nodded as he followed her out of the building. They emerged into the sunshine, and a short distance from them was one of the smaller Pict planetary shuttles. "Who's going to tell Admiral Adama?" Galen finally asked as he strapped himself in.

Mair gave him a look that told him he was pushing his luck before finally answering, "He will be told."

Shipyards were like hospitals, they looked the same anywhere you go within the galaxy. Terra, or rather the Pict's facilities were no different than what had been in orbit around Picon. As O'Neill pulled the door open she commented over her shoulder, "It's futile to run. You're being tracked."

In some odd way, Galen realized he wasn't that surprised. Why else would she blatantly take him out of the compound he had been held in for the past several months. "What type of FTL drive does the ship have?" he asked instead of answering her comment. He found they were in an encased catwalk. Below them was the corvette that was being augmented. He couldn't help but notice just how different the Pict ship was to the ships that the Colonial Military once had. "Can they understand me?" he asked.

Mair looked at him a moment before answering, "A few." She let him look at the ship for a few more minutes before leading him down the catwalk to a sealed door. This one was connected to an airlock that led directly to the ship. Only when they had passed through the airlock did he realize she never answered his question about the FTL drive. _I see_.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked as they now wound their way through the ship to the engine section.

"Just to make sure that they're installing it correctly."

Galen finally ventured, "I do understand why you're doing it this way."

Mair nodded then turned another corner. The hatch they reached had markings on it that Tyrol couldn't understand. She opened it up and escorted him into engineering. The few Colonials that were there were surprised to find that it was him that was going to help them. They weren't there for very long before Mair took him out of engineering. All he had time for was to give a few pointers on the best way to interface it with the existing engines.

"I want to know why you had me tell them what to do. You could have easily enough had the _Galactica_'s cheng do it."

"Tyrol," Mair stopped to look at him. "I need to know if you can be trusted."

"Right," he nodded.

Just as they were leaving they were blocked by several Terrans. 'Frau O'Neill!' one exclaimed. 'We were not allowed into engineering.'

'Because the Picts are handling everything, Commander Reeb,' she answered frostily while folding her arms.

'If the Picts are doing everything, then why are _you_ here?'

It took everything she had to not roll her eyes. _Dumb ass_. 'Because, Commander, I am the Terran liaison to the Colonials. And if you don't like it, you need to talk to Riggins.'

The German made a face when he found out who the Admiral was. He had been so busy that he never bothered to check in the first place.

'Now, if you will excuse me. I have work to do,' she finished and drug Tyrol out of the whole encounter. 'Thank goodness he can't understand English,' she muttered under her breath.

"Who was that?" Tyrol only looked down the corridor when they were almost to the airlock.

"All you need to know is that everything will be taken care of," she answered curtly.

Even Tyrol could tell she was angry at what just happened. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"What?" Adama looked at the comm. for a moment before placing it back against his ear. He seemed to listen intently before closing his eyes. "Keep me informed of any changes." With that, he placed the hand set back in its cradle. _This is not happening_.

He looked around for a moment, trying to remain calm while figuring out what to do. When he finally made his decision, he was quick about it. "Kelly, you've got the conn," he ordered while briskly moving out of CIC.

"Sir, where will you be?" Kelly asked while following him out of the command center.

"Planetside, talking to O'Neill," he answered gruffly while not bothering to stop. Only one other person dared to go behind his back. He didn't want to think about that whole event that landed him in Life Station recovering from a gunshot wound. He did, however, want to talk to Roslin about O'Neill's actions.

Adama spent the time it took to get to the liaison's office thinking about what he was going to say to her. He stopped at the receptionist's desk and asked, not even bothering to care if she could understand him or not. "Is O'Neill in?" he asked gruffly.

The lower-ranked officer blanched slightly and leaned back. "Y-yes, sir. Let me - - Wait! You can't go in there!" She jumped to her feet and tried to reach the door before he did, but she couldn't. Adama hesitated, which let her slip around him. 'I'm sorry, sir, ma'am.' She looked helplessly at the group.

'It's all right, lieutenant,' Mair answered. She was seated at the table along with Admiral Jackson and Ambassador Garcia. Once the young officer was dismissed Mair turned her attention back to Adama. "What can I do for you, Admiral?" she asked while offering the other chair available. "Admiral Jackson was just informing me of some of the issues that the men and women under you will need to know."

Adama looked at the group for a moment before taking the offered seat. His voice lowered to almost a whisper, "I want to know why you removed one of the cylons from confinement."

"The same reason why Valerii is able to move around the _Galactica_," Mair answered.

"Admiral, we needed to know if we were interfacing the FTL drive correctly," Jackson explained calmly.

Adama hid his surprise at how quickly Jackson had learned the language. He had assumed that Glennan was an isolated case. "It's not safe."

"Admiral, I also wanted to see if he could be trusted," Mair finally explained. "Has Tyrol done anything to warrant that break in trust?"

"That's not the point. I know they have hidden programming." He looked at Garcia for a moment before continuing, "I have personal experience in it. Valerii is being watched very closely."

"Admiral," Mair started very slowly, "There comes a time when you have to extend a hand of trust. You can't continue being paranoid about who could be a Cylon, but it doesn't mean we'll be ignorant of the risk. This is the chance we have to take." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Commander Tigh also wanted me to remind you what you had done for Tyrol."

_Frak_. Instead of answering the final comment, Adama got up and left the office.

'He has a lot of pride, but also a lot of paranoia,' Jackson commented.

'We'd be the same way if the Martoks had succeeded, sir,' Mair answered, while looking at the door.

Adama didn't stop until he was out of the building. He did not like what he had heard in O'Neill's office, but he couldn't help think that she was probably right (at least in concern for Tyrol). The only thing he could do at the moment was to talk to the two. "Take me to the compound," he ordered the pilot.

"Yes, sir," Racetrack answered while turning around to look back at him.

It surprised him to see it was Racetrack, he hadn't even thought to pay attention to the pilot. He nodded to her, then let her do her job. The trip didn't take that long, and soon they were landing in the landing facilities that the compound had. On the way down, he had contacted the people there to let them know he was coming. Either they were always ready, or they were going to be scrambling. What he would see when he got there would tell him a lot about the Terrans.

As he stepped off the wing he couldn't help but notice that they were not scrambling. Secretly, he was pleased not to have to deal with people trying make everything perfect. A man in a white coat came from the main building and approached the raptor. "Admiral Adama. I was informed that you would be coming. I am Dr. Ali. If you will come this way?" he introduced himself as he swept his arm in the direction they were to go.

Adama nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but notice the doctor's skin tone was oddly similar to Gaeta's. He let the thought slide as they entered the building. "You will be pleased to know both Commander Tigh and Chief Petty Officer Tyrol have been very cooperative. Tigh has been slower to recover from the surgery."

"Surgery?" This was a surprise.

"Yes, surgery. Both insisted on having the tumors removed." As they turned the corner Dr. Ali continued, "Tyrol was strong enough to take a trip out of the compound."

"Unrestrained," Adama's voice bore a hint of anger.

Akeem stopped and gave Adama the same hard look he was receiving, "Admiral. We knew at all times where he was. It's the same with the criminal elements of the society. They are free to go about their daily lives, but are coded at the same time. It is the same with Tyrol."

This seemed to mollify Adama somewhat, but not entirely. "I would feel more comfortable if someone accompanied him."

"A minder? We have found it takes up too much manpower. This is much easier." He turned and began moving down the corridor once again.

"I'll see it when I believe it," Bill muttered as they turned into another hallway. This one had doors on either side of the hall. One had a marine guard, but that was at the other end. "Are we going there?" he indicated that particular door.

"Not yet," Ali answered with a slight smile. He had stopped at one of the first doors. "If you will," he reached for the knob and pushed the door open.

"Bill?" Tigh turned to look at the door in surprise.

TBC...


	65. Chapter 65

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 65  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty-five_**

Adama sat down at his desk with a sigh. The whole thing had not gone the way he had hoped, or so he thought. Just the knowledge of what O'Neill had done was almost too much for him to deal with. He did understand her reasoning, but. . . Adama shook his head. There were things that had to be done, like Saul. He had left the Cylon as head of the _Pegasus_ as long as humanly possible. That couldn't continue. At least Saul understood why he had been removed from active duty and placed in protective custody.

Tyrol was a different story altogether. His situation, along with O'Neill's actions. . .He shook his head. Before he would deal with the Cylon issue, he was going to have a small talk with O'Neill about her actions. As soon as he had placed the request he pulled out a piece of paper and started putting down his thoughts. It wasn't that he didn't find her good at her job, it was just that she had gone about it the wrong way. Adama wanted to explain to her just how dangerous a Cylon could be.

_"I'm sorry, Saul. I can't allow you to stay on as the CO of the _Pegasus His words echoed through his mind. It was odd, though, how easily Tigh had accepted the news, almost as though he'd known it was coming.

Tyrol was a different story. He could see the effects being cooped up had on the Cylon. The short time he had outside the compound only added to his symptoms. Dr. Ali had mentioned that it was called Cabin Fever, though he had no idea what that meant.

It was almost an hour later when the door opened up and a marine escorted O'Neill into his quarters. She never had mentioned who her husband was, but he could tell he was missed. "Admiral," she nodded.

"Have a seat," he said, indicating one of his chairs. He would never force her to stand at attention being this far along in her pregnancy. That would go beyond the realm of human decency. "I called you here because of your actions earlier today. I need to know what you are going to do before you go on your own initiative."

"Admiral, if - -"

Adama interrupted, his voice soft, "You have no idea just how dangerous a Cylon can be."

"Dr. Ali informed me that the "tumors" were removed, sir."

"That doesn't mean a damn thing. Cylons can easily have hidden programming and not know about it. I took two slugs to the chest because of hidden programming, damn nearly died. Do you want that to happen to you, or your child?"

Mair looked down. Without thinking she let her hand rest on her growing belly. "No, sir."

"No chances can be taken. Especially now."

"May I ask a question?"

Adama looked at her for a moment before finally nodding.

"What about Valerii, sir? She moves about freely."

Adama shook his head. "No she doesn't. Valerii is always accompanied by two heavily armed marines. Since you're not one of my officers, I'm not going to write you up. But, when it concerns the Cylons I am to be informed of any and all issues."

Mair seemed to deflate somewhat. "I understand, Admiral. I will make sure you are informed about any and all activity with the three Cylons at the compound."

As soon as she had left his office Bill took off his glasses and rubbed his face. He always hated giving reprimands whether they be verbal or in written form.

* * *

The only reason Felix Gaeta found himself in the Terran's version of CIC was because of the appearance of four Cylon basestars. He knew it was only a matter of time before the Cylons made their presence known. Both Apollo and Starbuck were in borrowed fighters. The Terrans wanted as many fighters as humanly possible to go against the machines.

It was odd being able to look at the high definition screen and see what was going on. The countermeasures that the Terran ships used helped greatly, but there were still a lot of raiders that were managing to get through the fleet's defenses.

The Cylons had found out early on that the Terran ships were much more fragile than the Colonial battlestars, but on the flip side, they had more firepower. War was not fair, and the Terrans knew that. The moment the basestars appeared all communications between the ships were cut to only what was mandatory. The size of the growing battle forced the small frigate _Wakizahi_ to take the long way around to the back side of the Cylons. There was one problem with the frigate though. It took five minutes to recharge its weapon systems once it was discharged. During that time all they would have was their stealth settings for protection. If the Cylons got wind of where the ship was located, they would easily take it out. _An eggshell thin skin with a big hammer_, Angela had told him some time ago. _Frigates have always been built like this._

The deck gave a hard lurch, throwing everyone off balance. The Cylons were beginning to make a concerted effort to reach the _Yorktown_.

'Sir?'

Dolohov muttered something while still trying to maintain his balance. A smaller Terran vessel quickly disappeared in a ball of flame that was soon extinguished because of the vacuum of space. The Cylons were just starting to target another ship when one of the basestars seemed to crumple from the inside. Several Cylon squadrons broke off their attack and headed back to where they thought the new attack had come from. All the Terrans could do now was to pray for the men and women on the _Wakizahi_.

The Cylon's distraction allowed the Terrans to regroup quickly and press the attack. The Cylon raider squadrons that were left easily kept up their own attack, but at least the Terrans weren't overwhelmed as they had been before. That wouldn't last for very long, though. Dolohov knew he had to eliminate the Cylons quickly, or they would be eliminated themselves. Just as they began to focus their attention on what looked like the weakest basestar, the _Yorktown_ was hit by several Cylon ships, kamikaze style. The ensuing explosion knocked out the main powergrid, plunging them all into darkness. Seconds later, the emergency backup came on, lighting only that which was of necessity.

The eerie red glow was quickly punctuated by an ominous sounding alarm.

'Seal all bulkheads,' Dolohov quickly ordered. 'And tell the _Hood_ and _Prince of Wales_ Omega Option 2.' Gaeta had no idea what Dolohov meant with the order, but he thought it sounded dire. As the marines were securing the locks, they were shoved back. What came through was what the Terrans thought was a mechanized soldier. 'Cylon!' Gaeta called out just as the centurion brought out its weapon. He ducked as the centurion began to systematically shoot everyone within sight. One marine managed to disable the robot, but it was already too late for him.

In the silence, Gaeta could hear footsteps coming around the immobilized Cylon. He had no idea how or if he was going to make it out alive.

"This is nice, I never thought to find a Colonial," the man's voice sneered. "Get up."

Gaeta knew this person was one of the Cylons. Standing up, he slowly backed away and towards one of the bulkhead doors. The unnamed Cylon was quite a bit larger and bulkier than he was.

With speed that was frightening, the Cylon moved across the room and reached Gaeta. With his weapon slung over his shoulder and resting against his back, the Cylon proceeded to throw punches. Even with some of the new moves he had learned from Glennan, he knew he would never stand a chance.

Gaeta remembered complaining about basic, but it was never like this. With his strength quickly waning, he stumbled then hit his head on the side of one of the stations. The ensuing blackness saved him from remembering being kicked. When he finally regained consciousness he found it odd to not be able to move his arm. He rubbed his face and quickly realized that it was blood and not sweat. That had no meaning for him. What had his sole attention was the sight of the Cylon standing at one of the walls. He had pulled off one of the service panels and had ripped out several cables.

_He is not going to do this_, Gaeta thought numbly. Looking around he saw a service pistol that the marines normally carried. They had been briefed on how they worked when they first came on board, so he knew how to operate it. With the arm that did work, he slowly reached over and grasped the pistol. Turning, he waited until he got a clear bead on its spine, then fired one shot. He knew he had to make it good, because there would not be another chance.

The Cylon froze and crumpled to the floor.

With energy he never knew he had, Gaeta slowly crawled over to the prone Cylon. He closed his eyes in relief. Zeus had truly been with him, and had helped him stop the Cylon from interfacing with the Terran computers. Turning it over, he had a morbid sense of satisfaction as he raised the pistol and began beating it over and over. "You will not do this," he muttered. When he knew the Cylon was dead, he crawled away, only making it a few feet before the energy washed out of him and was once again engulfed in darkness.

TBC...


	66. Chapter 66

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 66  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, KaffeineKitty, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty-six_**

Felix knew he couldn't be dead. He hurt too much. Plus, he'd always assumed that he would feel no pain once he reached Elysian Fields. What surprised him was that he could hear voices. For a moment he fervently prayed they weren't Cylons. He couldn't tell, because they seemed muted, but he could still hear them. Gaeta tried to swallow. To his dismay, he discovered he couldn't - there was a tube in the way. His gag reflexes took over suddenly and he began fighting against the tube.

"Relax," a familiar voice whispered softly. "Felix, don't fight it. Everything will be all right."

He couldn't fight it even if he tried. The energy he had just expended seemed to wipe him out. Gaeta quickly felt himself being drug back down into that peaceful darkness once again. _Kara_, was the last thing he thought before the darkness completely claimed him.

The time seemed to stretch out forever before Gaeta could hear voices once again. As before, they were muted, but he was unable to hear what was being said. What he could tell was the that the tube that had given him so much trouble earlier was gone. For a moment, he wondered if it had been just a bad dream, but his throat was sore. He eagerly sucked in the cool air the mask was giving him. It made breathing so much easier. As the voices got louder, he wanted to tell them to be quiet and that he was trying to sleep, but all he was able to do was open his mouth. He quickly found out that he was too tired to even make any type of coherent sound.

His actions, though, did catch at least someone's attention. Through his eyelids he could tell they had dimmed the light, which he found he was grateful for moments later. The first face that swam into view was Lee.

"Take it easy," Lee murmured as he frantically indicated the door, trying to get at least someone's attention. Moments later the ship's CMO, Dr. Alex Baker, moved into the room and grasped Felix's wrist. 'Welcome back. It's about time you woke up,' he muttered as he looked at his wrist watch.

Gaeta opened his mouth to at least attempt to say something else, but was quickly stopped by Baker, 'Don't do any talking yet. That tube has rubbed your vocal cords almost raw. It will hurt for a while, but it will get better.' The best answer he could give the older man was a lolling nod. Releasing Gaeta's wrist, Baker dipped his free hand into a pocket in his lab coat and pulled out what looked like a small pen. 'I want to check to see how well you're recovering. You received a nasty smack on the head before you got shot.'

_Shot?_

Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, Baker removed the mask off Gaeta's mouth then aimed what turned out to be a small light directly into one of Felix's eyes.

Without so much as a hesitation the injured officer gave a heave, but nothing came out.

'Damn,' Baker muttered as he moved to the other eye where he received the same response. The CMO looked down quickly. He knew there wouldn't be anything on his coat. Gaeta had been unconscious long enough for everything in his stomach to have gone through his GI tract. He could also tell that the heaves had hurt. Dry heaves were always a bitch to deal with, and hurt like hell. 'I'll get you something to help ease your discomfort,' he said gently as he placed the mask back in position.

'Will he be all right?' Lee asked him when he exited the room.

Baker raised a finger and went over to one of the med techs. 'Give Major Gaeta 500 milligrams of ibuprofen.'

The tech nodded and scurried off to perform the request as Baker turned his attention back to Apollo. 'I have good news and bad news. Good news is that Major Gaeta should recover from his injuries.'

Lee didn't like the sound of what might be coming. 'And?'

'The Major has now had two major concussions in less than a year. He might have a problem with headaches for the rest of his life. I don't know how long it took for him to recover from the previous concussion. He needs to be careful, and take more time recovering this time.'

_Just great_. 'Thank you, Dr. Baker.' Lee nodded then moved over to the side for some room. He wanted to let Glennan know about the situation before she stepped into life station. Just as he was entering her personal code in the pda he happened to look up. Glennan had just arrived and was moving in his direction.

"Glennan?" He snagged her arm and pulled her towards the bulkhead. "I wanted to let you know that he's awake."

Glennan's shoulders slumped in what could only be relief. "Thank you."

Lee folded his arms. "But he has another concussion. I want to know when he received that other one."

Angela turned her head in the direction of the room Gaeta was in before answering, "It was right before Baltar's scheduled trial. It was because of the events leading up to his previous concussion that Baltar was deemed unfit to stand trial."

"I see," Lee answered thoughtfully. Kara had been in a very bitchy mood after the fact, and now he understood why. "Baker did inform me that he'll probably have headaches or stress induced migraines for the rest of his life. He never did mention if he was to stay on board or not."

"I haven't been told either." Angela shook her head as if to clear it.

"Are you all right?" Lee asked now very curious and concerned at Glennan's sudden seemingly odd behavior.

She sighed and shook her head again before he could do anything else. "I think so. I just feel a bit off. I'll be fine, I figure it's just the stress from dealing with the Cylons."

'Okay,' Lee finally accepted her reasoning.

The med teach leaving Gaeta's room caught their attention. 'Does he know about what happened?' Angela muttered.

'Not yet. I thought you wanted to do that.' Lee looked around a moment before bringing his attention back to Glennan. It surprised him that there weren't as many people in the ships life station as he expected. The doctors must really knew what they were doing.

'Right.' Glennan nodded and watched as Lee moved back towards sickbay's main entrance. She sighed as she watched Lee leave, then turned her attention towards Felix's room. It was good to know that the mask had recently been removed. All that was left was the nasal canula providing the extra oxygen he needed at the moment.

The room looked the same as the last time she had been there. Soft tones could be heard coming from the unobtrusive medical equipment. Felix's attention was focused on the opposite wall at the moment.

'How do you feel?' she asked as she neared the bed.

Gaeta groaned as she shifted positions slightly. 'Crap,' he whispered.

'I don't doubt it,' she gave a slight laugh as she sat down in the available chair. Before she did anything else, she poured him a glass of water and let him drink some of it through a straw. 'You know, you're really lucky.'

Felix lolled his head in her direction then back to the ceiling. _How can I be lucky when I got shot and feel like crap? _ "Why?" he rasped.

Glennan seemed to hesitate for a moment, almost as if she wasn't sure about what she was about to say. 'You were the only one to make it out of that room alive. We lost both Admiral Dolohov and Captain Hatcher during the attack.' There was a pause before she continued, 'And the Cylon you killed? Thrace told me that he was the one she met while retrieving some arrow. She's now furious at herself and is taking her anger out on the gym's punching bag.'

"Figures," he whispered. "Ask Major Adama," he qualified.

"I see," Angela nodded thoughtfully.

"Who's in command?" his questions and comments were now coming clearer, but slower. Even the energy it took to talk was taking its toll on his meager reserves of strength.

'Captain Stephen Windsor of the _Hood_ is the Commodore. Admiral Orbach has taken over command of the forces. From what I've heard, he's deeper into Cylon territory.'

* * *

Adama was seated at the table looking over one of his latest reports on the _Galactica._ It was good that the old ship was finally getting the care she had so desperately needed since even before the Holocaust.

"I see you like what you're reading?" Laura mused as she walked through the door.

"Of course." Even though he didn't look up he let a slight smile cross his face. "How is the election campaign coming?"

"Like any normal presidential campaign," Laura sighed. "That's not what bothers me, though. I need to know what's going on with the Terran forces."

"Same here." Bill took off his glasses and rubbed his face. For him, it felt like it was before the Holocaust. "At least I'm due for an update today. O'Neill isn't sure at what time because it depends on when she gets the information."

"Perfect timing," Roslin gave him a slight smile as the comm. sounded.

Adama gave her a look, then got up to take the call. He said a few words, then replaced the unit back into its cradle. "She will be here in a few minutes." Adama went back to the reports while asking, "What else is bothering you?"

"I'm sure it's nothing. Don't worry about it," Laura tried to dismiss her earlier comments.

"Not if you've already mentioned it." He reached over and touched her hand. "What is it?"

Laura finally conceded. "It's Tory. She never quite recovered from when she got sick earlier this year."

Before Adama could answer, the door opened up and one of the marine guards announced Mair's arrival. She carried one of the Terran style small computers.

"How are you doing?" Laura asked as Mair eased into the chair she was offered.

"As well as can be expected at this time, Madam President," the Terran answered as she opened up the computer. Once it was set up she looked at the two Auroran leaders. "Admiral Adama, I have a video that you might be interested in looking at." She paused before continuing, "The Cylons attempted to gain access to our networks internally. What I mean is that during a recent engagement they managed to gain access to the _Yorktown_ by means of hitting the carrier kamikaze style." When she saw the confused look on the two leaders' faces, she explained, "A suicide run."

"Casualties?" Adama knew this was the ship the officers were on at the current time.

"Yes. From what information I've been given, none of your officers have been killed, but. . ."

"But what?" Laura asked.

"Major Gaeta stopped one of the Cylons from interfacing with the computers. He was badly injured though. This is what is on the video footage I have. You'll also be interested in knowing that Major Adama didn't recognize the Cylon, but Thrace did."

This piqued Adama's attention. "Really?"

"Yes, sir. In Major Adama's report, he stated that the name that Thrace knew the Cylon as was 'Sam Anders', and that for some time she had wanted to go back to 'rescue' him." Mair pulled up a picture of the Cylon to let both Adama and Roslin see.

_He's bigger than Gaeta_. "Is there audio?"

"Not unless you want it, sir," Mair answered as she swiveled the computer back around to face her.

Adama stood up and moved around the table. "I want to see what happened."

Mair nodded and replayed the footage from the security cameras for Adama. Once finished he keep his face unreadable as he sat down. "Dolohov?"

"We lost him," Mair shook her head. "Admiral Orbach was given a field commission and is now in command of the forces at the moment."

"Where is Major Gaeta now?"

"Madam, because of his injuries, he's being sent back to the _USS Comfort_. Admiral, you might want to think about sending another officer to join the Terran forces."

"I first want a complete report of his injuries, then I'll let you know of my decision," Adama answered. His tone of voice let Mair know that the discussion was over with for now.

"Yes, sir." Mair nodded while packing up her computer.

When she was gone Laura gave him a somewhat perturbed look. "Bill, I wanted to see what happened."

"And I'm glad you didn't. It's not something anyone is truly prepared to see. Felix is lucky to be alive." He looked at her intently. "Has Tory gone to the doctor?"

Laura blinked her eyes in surprise then shook her head. "Not that I know of. All she stated was that she figured she had an ear infection."

_Interesting_. "I want her to go to the clinic to see if anything else is going on."

"What are you getting at?" Laura narrowed her eyes.

"I want her tested as soon as possible. She should have been tested early on."

"And just happened to be sick at the time. It looks like she was missed by pure chance." Laura shook her head. "Why are you so adamant about getting her tested now?"

Bill lowered his voice to barely above a whisper, "Both Tigh and Tyrol are confirmed Cylons. It looks like Tory had the same symptoms that the other two had."

Laura leaned back in surprise. "I've heard rumors, but nothing like this. And you think Tory is one also?"

"I have a fairly good idea that she is one of them. That makes 11 now."

Laura looked around the nicely furnished room, "And there's one left."

TBC...


	67. Chapter 67

Title: Faoi Dheireadh  
Part: 67  
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later  
Pairing: A/R  
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems  
Beta: Mariel  
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelrajr, Moggie, Rap541, Becky, KaffeineKitty, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . . 

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speech: " "  
English speech: ' '

**_Chapter Sixty-seven_**

It had been over a week since the attack and beating that landed Gaeta into the Terran's version of Life Station. The visiting officer spent most of the time asleep. He was at the point where, if the Cylons attacked again, he wouldn't really have cared. _I still feel like crap,_ he bemoaned during one of his more awake moments.

Then there were the headaches.

The last time he'd hit his head was nothing like this time. The headaches seemed much worse this time. Not only that, but they were much more frequent. At this point, all he really wanted was for the headaches to go away.

At least the heaves had stopped when the medical personnel checked his eyes. That was the worst part. Every time they came after the heaves they would check the sutures to make sure that he didn't pull any stitches.

The lights? At least it was getting easier to handle as the days passed. To tell the truth, he had no idea how long it had been since he first woke up because of how much he had slept.

The pain he was still enduring wasn't worth being called a hero.

Time seemed to stretch as he lay there. As he slowly woke, up he noticed someone was resting his or her hand on his left hand. When he finally opened his eyes, he noticed almost immediately that the lighting in the room he was in had been dimmed. He could also tell that he was not on the _Yorktown_ anymore. That could only mean he had been sent to the hospital ship that had been left in a staging area far behind the advancing Terran military ships in what was considered a semi-safe area.

He focused his eyes on his injured shoulder. Gaeta could barely move it, but that was to be expected. What he really wanted to know was who was in the room with him. All he could think of was that it might be a medical technician.

Gaeta swung his head drowsily to the other side. It took him a moment to realize that it was Angela's hand resting on his. _What?_ She shouldn't be here. From what he remembered, she had managed to weather the boarding unscathed. As he moved his hand he wasn't surprised that it woke her up. He cleared his throat. It was difficult to speak, and when he finally found his voice, it came out no more than a whisper. "W-wha. . ." As something of a last resort he tried to ask once again, this time in English, 'What are you doing here?'

'You know how I told you that Thrace was furious at you?' she changed the subject while not quite looking at him. 'Major Adama informed me that he was the one she wanted to rescue off Caprica.'

It took a moment for Gaeta to gather his thoughts. He could actually remember her telling him this. 'I know.' He closed his eyes for a short break, though he could tell he was stronger than when he first woke up. 'You already told me that.' _What's wrong with you?_ 'Angela, this is a hospital ship.'

She nodded even though she still wasn't quite looking at him.

With his good arm he managed to push himself up into more of a seated position. 'Why are you here if you're not injured?'

Surprisingly, she rubbed her face with her hands. Even though her voice was muffled, he could still understand her words, 'I didn't want or need this to happen now.'

Even though he had been sleeping most of the time since the attack, he found he still tired fairly quickly. either that or it was the medication the doctors were still giving him. 'What are you talking about?' he asked tiredly.

'I started getting sick before it was time for you to be sent back to the hospital ship. So, Dr. Baker wanted a complete checkup.' She paused before finally blurting out, 'I can't be in any combat roll anymore because. . .I'm pregnant.'

'How far?' was all he could think to say.

'You don't understand! I shouldn't be this way. I don't know what do to,' she bemoaned back into her hands.

Gaeta didn't even want to ask her about the contraceptives she should have been on. Something must have happened to it to make it malfunction. Added to the fact was that they had been quite active and enjoyed every minute of it.

* * *

"Ambassador Garcia, this is a surprise," Laura leaned back in her chair to give the Spaniard a critical look. She did not like being interrupted while in the middle of a report.

"_Señora_ Roslin," Garcia nodded then took one of the seats available. Even though the official residence of the president was nearing completion, Roslin had chosen not to move her office there just yet. Added to the fact that her re-election campaign had shifted into high gear, she didn't want the added burden of putting out the political fires that Zarek was attempting to set.

"Good news?"

"It depends, _Señora_," he added with a flourish as he reached down for his briefcase. He remained quiet as he opened it up and handed over several sheets of paper. "Two of the alliances want to give out awards for uncommon valor to a couple of your officers."

"Really?" she asked as she thumbed through the oddly rectangular papers. _I'll never get used to having four corners on a piece of paper_. "I will have to discuss this with Admiral Adama before I can give you an answer." She put the paper down and pulled off her glasses. "Ambassador, is this a common occurrence?"

"More so now," he answered thoughtfully. "Though you can find instances of this dating back to _World War I_."

_How long have they been fighting each other_, was all she could think. She didn't dwell on it for long though, she had too much work to do, and not enough time in the day.

"I thank you for bringing this to my attention, Ambassador," Laura rose to her feet and offered her hand.

"Of course, _Señora._" Garcia bowed with a flourish then backed away with his briefcase. When she was alone once more she looked out the window to the quickly growing city in the distance. She was still on _Colonial One_, and would be there for some time. Sighing, she sat back down and looked at the letters from the different leaders of the two alliances. "Billy?" she called.

He poked his head through the door, "Yes, ma'am?" Billy asked as he approached her desk.

"Will you please inform Admiral Adama that I wish to speak to him?"

"Here?" Billy looked down to the papers she was looking over.

"Yes."

"Of course, ma'am," he nodded and went back to his desk to make the calls.

When Laura was alone once again, she looked out the window. Even after all this time, she still couldn't quite take it all in that they were finally settled in a place where they didn't have to look over their shoulders in fear of the Cylons.

"He'll be here in an hour," Billy reported to her once the calls had been made.

"Thank you," she answered then went back to the work that never seemed to get done.

"Laura?"

"What?" Her head shot up quickly. _Had it already been an hour?_ "Bill? I didn't expect you to be here so quickly." She got up and moved around the desk.

"It took me about an hour to get here." Adama looked at the clock then back to her. He thought it was unusual that she seemed a bit flustered for some odd reason, but downplayed it as she went back to her desk.

"There's something I'd like for you to see." She folded her arms as she turned to lean up against the desk. Taking the cue, Adama moved over to one of the chairs and settled down.

"Ambassador Garcia told me earlier in the day that two of the alliances want to award two of your officers for uncommon valor." She handed him the papers. "Don't worry, part of it's in our language."

"Good," Bill muttered as he looked over the notes. "Interesting," he commented as he handed it back. "Are you sure we can accept all the awards?"

Laura shook her head. "I'm not sure. They have what looks like a title here. And this is a far different sort of award from what we're used to." She indicated a section of the wording on the top sheet. "We've never dealt with something like this before." She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "At least I've got some time to figure out if it's plausible or not."

Without warning her stomach let out an audible growl.

Bill gave her an amused look as he got to his feet. "Have you had anything to eat today?"

"Breakfast?"

"Not enough," he answered as he pulled her to her feet. As she reached for the papers he shook his head. "That will be here when you get back."

"I guess then it's a late lunch," she easily capitulated.

TBC in _Reversus Patria_


End file.
